Unexpected Ally
by ladygizarme
Summary: IYYYH X-Over! After the final battle with Naraku, Kagome convinces Inuyasha to come to her world for a vacation. Yuusuke and the gang are assigned to investigate mysterious activities near the beach resort. So much for a little fun in the sun!
1. Prologue

disclaimer: YYH belongs to Yoshihiro Tagashi; IY belongs to Rumiko Takahashi; Unfortunately, I am neither one of them!

Unexpected Ally (title courtesy of my beta-reader, metallicjet of ICAF; arigatou gozaimasu, Chiisu-kun!!)

Prologue:

Naraku had been defeated in an all-out epic battle. In the end, everyone agreed to work together, including Sesshoumaru, Kouga and even Kikyou. Sesshoumaru did a fair job of eliminating many of the lower youkai minions Naraku sent forth to announce his impending arrival, then going head-on against Kagura at her arrival. The fight with Kagura had been a ruse, though, as she had also made a deal with the Inu-tachi to gain her freedom. To gain… her heart… and Kanna's. She was to help them kill all the remaining minions under the guise of a messy fight with Sesshoumaru, giving the others the chance to gain ground on Naraku.

It had taken quite a bit of arguing and persuading to even get Sesshoumaru to agree to such a plan, let alone be a main participant. He would have much preferred going after Naraku all on his own, but he had been plagued by a feeling of foreboding for quite some time concerning the inevitable upcoming battle. He had learned long ago to trust that suspicious nagging at the back of his mind, so he felt obliged to at least listen to their plans. In the end, Kagura had appealed to his sense of pride, saying he was the only one she knew that fought ruthless enough for it to be believable that she'd lose her cool in battle. How else would it be explainable that she'd become so reckless as to cause the death of more of her "allies" than the number of wounds inflicted on her "enemy"?

Unfortunately, Naraku had seen the plan earlier through Kanna's mirror as she, once again, betrayed her younger sister. Kagura was dealt a swift impaling blow with a spiky, clay-like tentacle and reabsorbed before she could utter the curse on her tongue to her creator.

Almost simultaneously another impaling blow was dealt Sesshoumaru through his chest from his back. He had been concentrating so much on the choreography of their guise that he had only realized a moment too late. It was not a mortal blow, but he was definitely out of commission. If Tenseiga had not been at his hip to transport him to safety, he was not sure what the outcome would be. When this thought registered in his head, an expression of utter disbelief and brief humiliation **_almost_** crossed his face, but never made it past his eyes.

'_Imagine, The Great Lord of The Western Lands brought down by a filthy half-breed for the sake of not killing that woman! And in the end it mattered not, she is gone now anyway.'_ He had shaken himself from these thoughts quickly, turning his attention back to the sounds of the still raging battle.

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Kouga held his own against the throng of the Advanced Guard, but quickly realized just why the other half-breed he normally held in contempt had accepted his help (albeit rather grudgingly) with THIS half-breed, once he finally faced Naraku. He and Inuyasha were giving all they could, but didn't seem to make any headway. Finally, after what seemed hours, but was probably no more than half an hour, it looked like they were wearing him down! They had slashed and clawed their way through quite a few kugutsu and seemingly endless writhing, creeping tentacles and had finally found the **_real_** villain. Then, of course, came the miasma.

Kagome, out of everyone there, was the only one who was not affected at all by its poisonous effects. Even Kikyou was slightly affected, though not nearly as much as the rest of the warriors. Kagome immediately went to her human friends to get them cleared from the area. Miroku had been rendered unconscious from the effects of the poison from the saimyoushou he had sucked into his kazaana with many youkai. Luckily, Kagome had planned for just such a likely event and quickly administered medicine to him before going back for Sango. She hadn't had far to go, for Kirara had quickly sensed the danger before the miasma had fully engulfed them and grabbed her loving master and friend along with her now-dead brother from where they lay, bringing them to the safety of the same clearing Kagome had brought Miroku.

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Sango had lost herself to grief when Naraku had removed the shard from Kohaku's back, after the boy, once again, was able to fight the powerful command Naraku had over him.

Her previous back wound had been reopened as he'd approached her from behind, but when she turned around he had seen her face… and froze. She had watched him stand there, shaking, his chained sickle raised above his head, ready to be brought down on her to end it all. She waited for it, knowing she couldn't bring herself to deal such a blow to him to save herself. It never came, though, and she heard the sliding clink and clatter of the chain collapsing to the ground, the blade coming to rest on top of the coiled pile. He had abandoned his weapon!

He could never again forget the face of this woman, and though his memory of all else was erased, he knew that he could never kill her for he knew that she loved him unconditionally. He vaguely had an idea that he had been close to her; that they were family, but the whole truth in his vacant memory did not matter as long as he kept her alive. And he had, at the cost of his own. He was not sad, he knew it would happen. When he felt the shard's power leaving him and the intense, soul-shattering pain overtake him, he merely smiled at his sister and whispered, "I knew… I could… never… forget… your face… miss..."

Sango had just collapsed at that, not even feeling the pain of her physical wounds due to the pain in her twisting heart. Unable to think, unable to move more than grabbing up Kohaku's body instinctively and curling herself upon him. He had forgotten it. Forgotten it all, but not her! Yet, he still did not truly remember her, either. Her brother had died not truly knowing any family, or that he was dearly loved and treasured. She felt her heart wrench in guilt, pain and regret. She had been unable to save him. Her cries of anguish were lost to the sounds of the battle that had ensued around her, and only Miroku had seen from his place in battle a few meters away, before succumbing to his own intensely burning pain.

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Kikyou was sure she would be the one to ultimately bring Naraku down, but he recreated the giant soul-collector that had plagued her once before, so long ago, and she was losing her strength and power fast. Kagome, seeing this, yelled for Inuyasha to kill the incarnation while she quickly notched an arrow and let it fly directly for her target: the dark hanyou himself. The cocky bastard had finally shown up in person once more, and, in a move reminiscent of one of her first few encounters with him, Kagome hit her mark through his miasma, breaking through his barrier and devastating his body, leaving barely more than a head! Naraku was down, but not out. No one there was stupid enough to think he wouldn't come back once more if he escaped now. Luckily, Kikyou was still within reach of him, and as Inuyasha had killed the beast stealing her borrowed souls, she had just a bit of power left. All her own shinidama-chuu had been exterminated by Naraku, leaving her unable to re-gather the lost souls to gain her strength back.

"Just enough…" she spoke, barely above a whisper, "…to fulfill my promise.."

At this, Inuyasha looked back at her from where he had landed after striking the soul-stealer down just a few meters away; able to see throughout the battlefield once again as the miasma had been purified to nothing by Kagome's hamaya.

_'What promise? Is she talking about our promise? He's not even dead yet! The jewel isn't complete. What the hell is she talking about?'_ His thoughts rambled away, trying to grasp what she could possibly be talking about. He didn't have long to wait, though.

Kikyou leapt at the dark hanyou and with the last bit of strength and power she had, bound him to her, putting him in a trancelike state so he could not disturb her final deeds. Suddenly, an enchanting blue light burst forth from the ground, opening it up to them and gently coaxing them down. Down to the bowels of hell.

"Kikyou! No! What are you doing?! That was **_our_** promise! **_I_** was supposed to protect you from him! **_I_** was supposed to follow you to hell!" Inuyasha screamed at her in anguish at seeing his first love wrapped around their most-hated enemy, dragging him to hell with her. He dimly realized he was arguing to go to hell himself, and who in their right mind would do that? But he**_ had_** promised her and had intended to keep his word, no matter the conflicting emotions swirling inside him. _'But now…'_ he thought as he watched her sink deeper and deeper.

"I know I vowed to take you with me to hell, Inuyasha, but I made another vow also. I vowed that I would be the one to kill Naraku, and I can't ignore it now that it's so clear how I can. You made another promise as well, Inuyasha. You promised you would always protect Kagome, and I'm sure even you realize that would be impossible where I'm going," Kikyou said all this in a soft, solemn voice, a softer emotion than she had ever worn since her "resurrection" starting to play in her eyes and at her mouth. She had a sad sort of smile, but it was genuine. The hint of thinly-veiled malice gone completely.

"No…. Kikyou…" Inuyasha pleaded, his voice softly breaking.

Kikyou smiled at him then. A warm, nostalgic smile, as if she was thinking on fond memories. "I **_did_** love you Inuyasha. I remember that. But all that was left was the cold hatred and regret when my reincarnation took back most of our soul. It will be her soul alone now. I'm glad I've come to realize these things before this piece returns to her. I hope it will fuse inside her without the excess negativity I was holding onto for so long. Goodbye….Inuyasha." And with that, she was gone. As the last of the ethereal blue lights faded, and the earth closed back up, all anyone could do was stand (or lay, as the case may be) in awed silence. Was it really over? Had she actually defeated the evil hanyou?

Inuyasha fell to his knees, a myriad of emotions engulfing him, not sure what to feel, or what to do next. Pain, grief, anger, longing, love, regret… but, most of all… _'…relief? At what? Naraku's defeat? Kikyou's acceptance of her fate?_ _Not having to follow her to hell?'_ At this thought, the grief and regret showed themselves full-force again. He continued to stare, eyes glazed over, at the spot that his once-love had disappeared into. He couldn't even begin to sort through his thoughts and feelings, so he let himself go numb.

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Kagome slowly came to her senses and willed her body to move to the place Naraku had been when she loosed her hamaya. Finding the glowing, tainted, mostly-complete sphere she was looking for, she slowly kneeled down to pick it up, instantly purifying the tainted jewel. She sighed in relief. She had been worried that it may be too far gone, too impure, for her meager abilities. Once again, she was proven wrong by the powers that she couldn't even begin to fathom, lying mostly-dormant inside her, bubbling up like a natural geyser at the times they knew she most needed it.

Suddenly, Kagome started to feel a familiar tugging. The tugging at her soul. She'd felt it often when near Kikyou in the past. She frowned, starting to feel dizzy, unsure of what to do or what it meant.

Inuyasha felt a familiar presence from the spot his eyes were staring at, unseeing. He quickly shook his head and blinked away his haze. The ground was trembling slightly in that spot, and a faint pink light was shining through the cracks on the surrounding earth. _'What the hell,'_ he thought, confused, _'is she coming back? Did she leave Naraku there to come back for me?'_

Just as he thought this, the full force of the shining pink presence burst forth, exploding from the ground, yet leaving no destruction in its wake. All went back exactly as it was before. Inuyasha followed the light with his gaze, then his head followed when he felt he would topple over from trying to keep only his eyes on the sprightly soul. For that's what it was, he now knew. The fragment they most needed and should've been looking for all along, yet he was too blinded by his past to realize before now.

'_How had Kagome stayed so bright and cheerful, missing so much of herself? Her very being, her essence, ripped in two? How extraordinary must she truly be to have been able to share that much of herself and not fall victim to the same bitterness as… Kikyou?'_

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The soul flitted around the clearing a few more times, enjoying its brief freedom, as if airing itself out of the bitter sorrow and hatred it had been forced to endure and hold onto for so long. Finally, coming within feet of Kagome, who had turned around to face the same spot Inuyasha was facing, the freshly aired soul dove carefree into Kagome's chest, bathing her in an ethereal pink glow.

Kagome's eyes widened at the approach of her missing soul fragment, and began to feel the familiar tug turn into an inward pull as it got closer. As it dove into her, she felt warmth wash over her like a tidal wave, then quickly even out to a calm ebb; the feeling of a soothing, bubbling hot spring relaxing her entire being. It was wonderful. It Yet so much more. She didn't ever remember feeling this alive, yet she had been so sure she was quite alive and happy before. She had no words or thoughts to describe it, she just had the feeling, and she didn't ever want it to go away again.

Slowly, the intensity ebbed away, as did the glow, fading from her body until, lastly, it glowed in her eyes before returning them to their sapphire blue once more. But that wholeness, that feeling of being thoroughly alive and aware, stayed with her. Kagome couldn't help it. She grinned the biggest, most possibly cheesiest, grin ever in her life. Wrapping her arms around herself, her grin remained as she started giggling, unable to control the giddy feeling bubbling up inside.

Inuyasha stared at her a moment, feeling like doing a triple-take, but never moving his eyes from her laughing form. Then, Inuyasha couldn't help it, he started laughing, too! Kagome's breath hitched as she heard him start up, and she looked up at him from across the way a split-second before succumbing to even more mind-numbing giggles.

'_This is great. Naraku is gone. The jewel, almost complete. And… I am complete! And Inuyasha is laughing!! I always wanted to see him smile, but laughing?! Wow! I know once we sober up, he still has a lot of healing to do, but maybe… just maybe…'_ Kagome smiled to herself as her laughter finally trailed off, and she took into account the state of her friends scattered across the former battlefield.

Kouga was sitting cross-legged on the ground still staring at the spot where Kikyou had summoned the embrace of hell, his mind still heavily muddled from the effect the miasma had on his ultra-sensitive youkai senses.

Sango had finally started coming around and was attempting to check on Miroku, all while still clutching Kohaku against herself as she half-crawled, half-dragged herself over to the houshi. Not because of any serious injury, though she did have quite a few, but because she still couldn't trust herself to walk properly out of sheer emotional exhaustion, if nothing else. Kirara was attempting to help, however she was limping due to injuries received from the Advanced Guard. They would heal in a matter of a couple days, but Kagome mentally made a note to bandage her up as soon as she got her supplies back from Kaede's. She knew she probably wouldn't have enough bandages to do it now, after she got done bandaging the others. For now, she'd have to try to mend just the serious injuries they now sported.

'_Thank all the Kami I made Shippou stay in the village! I hadn't been sure this would be it for real this time or not, but I just had that weird feeling…'_ Kagome shuddered slightly at this, thinking what could've happened if the kit had come along. _'Glad I'm learning to better trust those gut instincts finally!'_

Kagome looked towards Inuyasha with a silent question on her face. He nodded his head towards the forest to his right, indicating that's where his brother was healing. Then, he shook his head 'no' slightly to what he **_knew_** her next question would be. She frowned a bit when she realized he was already forbidding her to go help his half-brother, but she knew it would not be the best idea to mess with Sesshoumaru right now. He had been the first to fall, and he would not need any reminders of that from a little ningen miko trying to help him. She decided to give him a chance to come to them, but resolved that nothing would stop her if he was still being stubborn in the morning.

Everyone was thoroughly exhausted, and, though they didn't exactly feel like staying in the remains of the previous violence, none had enough strength or energy left to move much farther from it. They set up a makeshift camp a little ways away in the same woods Sesshoumaru rested, though not too close to invoke his wrath, and let Kagome treat their injuries with what little supplies she had left on her person. They didn't even try to bother with dinner. Even if there had been something to eat, none really felt like eating after such carnage.

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In the morning, Sesshoumaru had re-inspected the battlegrounds, finding his "allies" missing among the remains, and went to join them. He couldn't fathom why at the moment, but he felt drawn to their camp. Coming upon the camp, he felt a familiar pulse that had realization for the inexplicable pull dawning on him. The boy, Kohaku, the one who had been ordered to kill Rin when she was kidnapped from him, was dead. Wrapped in a blanket and waiting to be taken back to his village to be buried. He felt the pulse again, and looked down to Tenseiga. Without a thought or a word to the others, who quickly became aware of his commanding presence, he drew the sword, narrowing his eyes to see the messengers of death and quickly slicing through them with a mighty sweeping arc of the healing sword. Everyone held their breath at the action, not sure what the hell he was doing, until Kohaku took in a deep gasping breath and sat bolt upright.

Sango let out a surprised gasp as tears of joy and gratitude cascaded down her cheeks. She couldn't begin to think how to thank Sesshoumaru enough for her brother's return to life, and ran instinctively to embrace the youkai lord, stopping short when she realized he had already wordlessly sheathed his sword and turned to walk away. His dignity just barely salvaged by preventing the taijiya's inevitable embrace, he took to the sky to find Rin, Jaken and Ah-Un before returning to his lands.

The rest of the group simply stared after him as Sango moved to welcome her dear brother back to the land of the living. After much embracing and many tears, the two siblings seemed to come to an unspoken understanding that neither were ready to talk about Kohaku's restored memories quite yet. For now, they would just be happy they were reunited once again in life.

Soon after the calming of the reunion, they broke camp and headed back to Kaede's village…. Back home. Now the healing would begin. More than one person had more than just physical healing to do, and they all knew they would need to come to terms with their emotional turmoil before continuing the quest to complete the jewel.

Upon examination of the jewel, Kagome had realized that even with their shards, and the two Kouga still possessed, they were still missing quite a few. With the semblance of peace that seemed to possess the lands once haunted by Naraku, though, they knew it would not endanger their quest to take the healing rest they so richly deserved. This is how it came to be, a week later, that they all took temporary leave of each other for some much-needed self-reflection. Sango and Kohaku went back to the taijiya village to pay respects to their ancestors, Sango determined to soothe Kohaku's guilt and help him ease back into a normal (as normal as it can be as a youkai exterminator in the Sengoku Jidai, at least) life.

Miroku left to visit Mushin and cleanse his soul with deep meditation. With his newfound lease on life since the kazaana had closed, he had much thinking to do on his intentions with a certain pink-and-black clad bone-boomerang wielding beauty. He knew exactly what his intentions were, but would she accept him? He had never talked of his true feelings to her before. He could never expect her to return his feelings. It would not have been fair to ask such a commitment of her to a dying man. He was no longer dying, though. No, he was very much alive, and hopefully soon to be a very happy husband….

Kouga went back to his tribe, hoping to reunite the previously all-but-disbanded tribes and restore some order to his lands. He, of course, insisted he would be back for Kagome when things were suitable for his 'mate's' return. Kagome had tried to correct his presumption, but he was off in a whirlwind before his name could leave her lips.

This left Kagome and Inuyasha. She knew he would still be suffering from all the confusing emotions that welled up at Kikyou's final actions, but was determined to be there for him no matter how painful it may be to her. So it came to be that, almost two weeks after the defeat of Naraku, Kagome convinced Inuyasha to come with her to her time for a vacation, hoping to get his mind off Kikyou for a bit and cheer him up. She knew he wasn't mad at her, but his sorrow contributed even more to his normally gruff attitude, and she had not seen even a shadow of a smile on him since that day he had burst out laughing with her. She missed it and was determined to see it again!

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Japanese Vocab: A/N: I will be using most of these words quite often, though I may occasionally use the English words as well. I will not, however, be translating/defining them for each chapter I use them in. Please feel free to inform me if I have mistranslated something, as I have no formal education in Japanese-only what I've picked up from anime, fansites, fanfic, and online research, all of which are subject to human error. Thank you! 

Words First Appearing in Prologue:

**_youkai:_** demon

**_Inu-tachi (or Inuyasha-tachi): _**basically, Inuyasha and the group (Inuyasha-group)

**_kugutsu:_** demon puppet

**_saimyoushou:_** hell's insects

**_kazaana:_** air void (wind tunnel)

**_hanyou:_** half-demon

**_shinidama-chuu:_** Kikyou's soul collectors

**_hamaya:_** purifying arrow

**_houshi: _**monk

**_kami: _**gods and spirits (this is kind of an over-simplification, but good enough for my usage of the word)

**_ningen:_** human/humans

**_miko:_** shrine maiden/priestess

**_taijiya:_** exterminator/slayer

**_Sengoku Jidai:_** Japan's Feudal, or Warring States, Era

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Reviews would be much appreciated! 


	2. A Well Earned Vacation

Unexpected Ally

disclaimer: YYH belongs to Yoshihiro Tagashi; IY belongs to Rumiko Takahashi; Unfortunately, I am neither one of them!

Chapter One: A Well-Earned Vacation

"No."

The disembodied voice said this with a none-too-subtle note of finality. That was it. His word was law. A slight breeze played at his silver hair and the wispy strands of fur at the tips of his ears, bringing with it the ripe ume scent of summer that came with the winding down of tsuyu. The owner of the voice smirked satisfactorily to himself, closing his eyes as he clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back against the tree trunk.

Of course… he should've known it could never be that easy. Not with this particular insubordinate. He groaned inwardly as he heard the light footsteps continue their path in the grass.

"C'mon, Inuyasha! It'll be fun," Kagome pleaded sweetly up to the branches of Goshinboku.

"Keh, fun. We've still got a quest to complete, y'know! Those last few shards aren't gonna collect themselves, and you just **_had_** to tell everyone to take their time coming back," Inuyasha answered incredulously, not moving from his position in his tree. Somehow the wench had forgotten that **_he_** was the leader of the group! "What the hell's a "vaaayykaaayyshhuuuunnn" anyway? What does it do, and why do you think you need to take one so badly?"

Kagome rolled her eyes at herself. Once again she had taken her knowledge of the modern era for granted. "A vacation is a break from everyday life and duties. It's a time to relax and have fun, so you don't get rundown by your responsibilities. I'm taking a vacation and I think you should come too," she stated matter-of-factly. "Besides, we haven't heard any shard rumors since even before we fought Naraku, and, like you said, our friends won't be back here for awhile anyway. Plus, I already promised mama I'd take Souta to the beach, since she has to work."

"It'll hafta wait 'til we find those shards. I don't wanna waste anymore time now that Naraku's outta the way. We don't need Sango and Miroku for a shard hunt, anyway. They can't see 'em, can they? Just tell your mom the shards are more important than the twerp's 'fun'," the hanyou spit out stubbornly, his scowl clearly evident through his speech, though Kagome could not see his face. Her eyebrow twitched dangerously. Unfortunately, said hanyou had his back turned to her up in the tree, so he had no warning when….

"Osuwari!!" The crash echoed through the forest as a string of muffled curses floated up to Kagome's ears. "Honestly, Inuyasha, how can you be so callous? Naraku is finally gone! We should be happy and celebrating, but all you seem capable of doing lately is sitting around moping. Suddenly, now that I want to do something more fun than watch you mope around, you decide to try to drag me off on a shard quest? Do you honestly believe Kikyou gave her life to save us just so you could waste away brooding?!!" Kagome cringed at her own bluntness, not really ready herself to discuss the dead miko, but she knew it had to be said. If left to his own devices, she was positive Inuyasha would retreat into his own despondency, completely shutting out the world. Right now, she figured, the only thing keeping him from doing so was the shard quest.

She begrudgingly admitted to herself that he was right about needing to collect the remaining shikon no kakera, but, with Naraku gone, the pressure on the quest could ease up. Besides, she **_had_** promised her mother to chaperone Souta and his friends during their summer break at the beach resort (as she had so kindly been reminded that morning when she'd returned home to restock her bag and bathe). If she was somehow able to get Inuyasha to come out of his newly-acquired shell and have some fun, all the better!

Kagome shook herself from her thoughts and turned her attention back to the freshly flattened Inuyasha, just beginning to come free of the subduing spell. After his initial string of curses, he'd gone unusually silent, and Kagome suspected it was the mention of Kikyou that had stilled his tongue. She chewed her lip slightly, unsure of what his reaction would be once he was out of his crater, and frowning when he merely sat his back against the bottom of the tree trunk, his arms crossed and a brooding pout fixed on his face. He turned his face away as she came to sit beside him.

"Inu…" she began, kneeling down to sit facing his side, searching her mind for what she could possibly say to soften the blow she'd just dealt at the mere mention of her former incarnation. She let his unfinished name hang in the air as her internal search came up empty, opting to 'wait and see' rather than possibly make things worse. She chewed her lip again.

Sensing her distress, Inuyasha turned his head forward again, giving her a profile view as he spoke, staring into the surrounding forest. "K-Kagome…" he started, but faltered as the salty smell of gathering, unwept tears hit his nose.

'_Great,'_ he thought to himself, _'so much for standing my ground! If I keep this up she'll be crying, all because she wants me to be happy and have fun with her.'_ He took a deep breath to try to focus his thoughts on speaking, letting it out in a heavy 'whoosh' of a sigh before trying again.

"Is-Is it really that important to you, Kagome?" he ventured.

Kagome looked up from staring at the ground to see Inuyasha, head cocked towards her ever-so-slightly, as if gauging her reaction.

"Inuyasha?"

"This… "vay-cay-shun" thing…" he turned his face forward, once again leaving her with his profile, satisfied she was no longer on the brink of tears.

Kagome smiled. He was agreeing. "Will you come with us, Inuyasha? I'd really like you to come. I don't want you to be alone here for a whole week, while I run around in the sand and ocean. Plus, I'm sure Souta would just love it if his "Inu-no-nii-chan" came along!" Kagome offered cheerfully, the last traces of gathered tears causing her sapphire eyes to sparkle even more than usual.

Inuyasha raised his eyebrows at this. "Keh, like I need that twerp following me around, bugging me," Inuyasha's mouth kicked up slightly in amusement as Kagome's bright smile faltered at his words. "I'll come just to keep **_you_** outta trouble. Who knows what could happen to that tama if I'm not around?" Inuyasha peeked an eye at her again. Yep, the smile was back and brighter than ever. He knew it would be.

"Thanks, Inuyasha! I promise it'll be fun," Kagome gushed. She knew the talk about the jewel's safety was mostly to cover up his concern for her. He really did worry about her when she was gone. She stood up and offered him a hand as he looked up at her questioningly. "Come on, let's go say 'bye to Kaede and Shippou before we leave. I wanna spend the night in my own bed one more time before we go."

Inuyasha took her outstretched hand as he got up and followed her back to the village, feeling the stirrings of something that he dimly suspected was contentment.

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Inuyasha scanned the shrine for danger as he waited for Kagome to exit the wellhouse and slide the shoji shut. They had taken a lot of time at Kaede's, and the sun had already set.

Kagome had wanted to learn a couple useful concealing spells from the old miko before taking Inuyasha to her time for so long, and she'd practiced for a few hours before feeling satisfied she could do them. They still weren't as strong as they could be, but it'd have to do. The spell to conceal the Tetsusaiga from view worked almost perfectly, and Kagome was confident Inuyasha could keep it with him at all times with no trouble in her time. The spell to conceal his youkai nature, however, merely concealed his youki and dimmed his scent, leaving his ears, fangs and claws as clear giveaways. Shippou had tried to reassure Kagome's efforts by stating, in classic Kouga-fashion, that "dog-boy's stink" wouldn't go away, even with a perfect casting of the spell, promptly earning himself a few large, swelling bumps on his head. Eventually, Kagome had decided that she would just have to keep practicing in her time, and take what she could get from her untrained powers.

Now, standing with Inuyasha back on her side of the well, she peered out into the darkness towards the lights of her house. It was probably still dinnertime, and she was starved. It takes a lot of energy to spend an afternoon learning powerful concealing spells, after all. As she and Inuyasha made their way to the house, she wondered what her mother had made for dinner. She'd eat almost anything right now, even the same instant ramen she'd been eating for the last couple of weeks, but it would be even better if it was…

"Oden!" Kagome exclaimed as soon as she slid the shoji to the dining room open and saw the pot on the table. The occupants of the table jumped, and her mother turned a surprised smile to the daughter she had just been thinking of as she'd prepared her favorite dish. The stew wasn't normally prepared in the summer, but she had hoped that Kagome would be coming back that night (since she had reminded her of her responsibility to Souta that morning) and had prepared it as a "welcome home" dinner, just in case.

"Oden, oden, yummy oden," the girl continued, crossing to her mother's cushion and bending down to embrace her in greeting and gratitude. "Arigatou gozaimasu, mama! How did you know this is just what I needed?" Kagome didn't wait for an answer as she left the room to wash her hands, passing Inuyasha as he stood in the doorway, and leaving her dining family staring dumbly after her.

"Inu-no-nii-chan!" Souta exclaimed as soon as he noticed his idol. He jumped up and hurried over to the hanyou, "Are you staying for dinner?"

"Oh, yes, Inuyasha," mama insisted, "please stay, there's plenty!"

Inuyasha was about to answer when a small rectangular piece of paper was slapped to his forehead between his eyes, causing a slight yelp to squeak out of his throat, instead of the words he had been forming, as his eyes crossed.

"Demon, begone!" Grandpa Higurashi exclaimed with his usual fervor. The other occupants of the room merely sweatdropped as Inuyasha promptly peeled the ofuda off, shredded it and dropped the pieces in front of the old man.

"How many times do I gotta tell ya, old man? Those things don't work! They hurt me about as much as a fly landing on me! Kagome's 'sit' does more damage!"

"And don't you forget it!" she exclaimed as she walked back into the room to sit at her cushion. Inuyasha flinched slightly at the thought of her 'sit' power and her having heard him say it affected him. Kagome didn't notice. "Inuyasha, go wash your hands and come eat! Mama's oden is the best!!" and with that, she dug in to the stew her mother had served her.

Inuyasha did just as Kagome said without argument, much to her surprise. _'He must've been as hungry as me!'_ she mused to herself.

Dinner passed without incident, as everyone kept a close eye on Grandpa. Kagome gave them a highly-edited version of their battle with Naraku; along the lines of "It was tough, but we all came together and finally beat him. There were some injuries, but nothing too bad. Everyone's taking some time to relax now." This last statement brought the subject of the impending beach vacation to the table. Kagome told them she'd invited Inuyasha along since everyone else was no longer in the village, plus it'd be nice to have someone her own age along to keep her company. At this sentiment, Mama Higurashi broke in.

"Well, that's fine if Inuyasha goes with you. Of course, you won't be completely alone, dear. Did I forget to tell you? Juri's going along, also. Her brothers, Aki and Haru, are going anyway, so she'll be there to help keep them in line. Besides, how did you think you were getting there since you don't drive," mama questioned.

"Juri? Kikugawa Juri? Mama, she's **_just_** gotten her license and you're trusting her to drive a carload of people, four of which being 10- and 11-year-old boys??!" Kagome was shocked, to say the least. Shocked… and a bit apprehensive. She'd only ever been driven around by mama, if she wasn't on public transportation.

"I have complete confidence in Juri-chan's driving abilities. After all, she wouldn't have gotten her license if she didn't do well in driving school. She's had it for almost a year now, anyway, since she just turned 19."

Kagome still didn't seem quite convinced, which was starting to make Inuyasha a little uneasy, as well. She didn't get this way during their travels in **_his_** time, when any and all kinds of youkai were constantly after them, yet this "driving" thing this "Juri" was going to do to them was making Kagome's fear-scent rise. It must be something horrendous! Before he could speak up, though, Mama Higurashi spoke again.

"Kagome," she began, rolling her eyes and letting a hint of exasperation color her tone, "it's not like you can just take a train there. You'll have too much stuff to lug it all onto the train, then into several expensive taxis, then into your cabin, and repeat the process to come home. It will be much better to just pack everything into the large van we're renting for you guys, unpack, then re-pack to come back home, don't you think?"

She finished with a smile that eerily reminded Inuyasha of the grin Kagome wore when she knew she would get her way. He shivered a little, involuntarily. Luckily for him, no one noticed, as they were all having similar reactions to her Cheshire grin.

"Okay," Kagome conceded with a sigh. "So, anyway, who else is going? You said Kikugawa Aki and Haru, but who else? You did say Souta was bringing three friends."

"Yes, I did," mama nodded, sipping her tea before continuing, "Satoru is going, as well."

"Satoru? Mayu's little brother? How is he? How's his okaa-san?" Kagome asked urgently.

Inuyasha's ears perked up at this. _'Satoru? Mayu?'_ Those names sounded familiar to him, but he couldn't pin down why. He needn't have puzzled himself, all would soon be brought to light.

"They're great, nee-chan!" Souta piped up, glad to have something to offer the conversation, as his neck was getting a bit sore from watching their exchange. "Ever since that night you went back to the hospital, Satoru healed much faster and his mother has been a lot less depressed. Oh, yeah, she said to thank you for helping with Mayu. What did you do, Kagome? I didn't know you knew Mayu!"

'_Hospital?'_ Inuyasha thought to himself. The fog in his memory was beginning to clear, but he couldn't quite see through it yet. However, with Kagome's next words, it all became clear.

"Well, Souta, you remember all the accidents that kept happening around Satoru and the people visiting him while he was still in the coma?" The boy nodded his head, and his sister continued, "Mayu was the one doing all that. I found out the Tatari Mokke was following her, trying to soothe her soul before she passed on to the next world. She was holding onto so much anger, though, that it was going to take her to hell, so I helped her let go of those feelings before that happened."

Kagome's family stared at her in awe, then all three spoke at once.

"Tatari Mokke?! I **_told_** you it exists!"

"What accidents that were happening?"

"You were able to see Mayu **_and_** the Tatari Mokke?"

Kagome answered Souta. "Yeah, I could see them both, though I'm not sure why…" she trailed off with a shrug.

"Keh, isn't it obvious, woman? You were meant to help her, and that's what you did. You couldn't exactly have saved her from being pulled into hell if you couldn't see and talk to her, could you?"

Kagome stared at Inuyasha, _'Did he just pay me a compliment?' _She had just started to smile when Inuyasha continued speaking.

"Though it **_was_** pretty stupid how you went about it. Honestly, you just ran after her recklessly, almost getting dragged down to hell with her in the process!! I couldn't even follow after you to save you because of my youkai blood! If the Tatari Mokke thought she belonged in hell, you should've let it take her instead of putting your life on the line for a little hateful soul."

Kagome steamed. "Baka! For once in your life, can you say something nice to me without mucking your mouth up with your foot afterwards? If she really deserved to go to hell, she would've! I just helped her come to terms with her anger, which she had every right to feel. She'd died so young in a fire, thinking her mother had abandoned her, when, actually, her mother didn't even know she was there! I helped her realize what she already knew in her heart: that her mother loved her deeply no matter what. If I hadn't done everything I could to help save her soul, I couldn't have lived with myself." She crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to utter another word. He wisely backed down from the challenge, trying to look anywhere but at his friend's angry, slightly red face.

Grandpa broke the silence with a cackle-like chuckle. "The banter between you two kids is most entertaining, but I believe I will retire to bed now. Kagome, I expect you to give me a full description of the Tatari Mokke before you leave tomorrow. I want to add an eyewitness account to my scrolls," and with that, he exited the room, sliding the shoji back closed behind himself.

Mama decided bed was in order for all, and sent them off as she cleared off the table and went to wash the dishes.

Kagome got ready for bed in silence and set out a futon on her floor for Inuyasha. He wished he could cool her anger with him, but didn't want to risk a 'sitting.' He removed his haori and laid down without a word, after taking Tetsusaiga from its spot at his hip and hugging it against his chest, in order to sleep more comfortably. He listened with his eyes closed as Kagome turned out the lights, got into bed and settled into sleep. His last thoughts, before drifting off to sleep himself, were that he hoped sleeping would calm her anger as he suspected tomorrow was going to be a **_long_** day.

End Chapter 1

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_**A/N:**_ Just a reminder: I will not be repeating translations/definitions for Japanese words used in previous chapters. Also, reviews are so very welcome!!

Words First Appearing in Chapter One:

**_ume:_** Japanese plum; Factoid: Japanese plums originated in China, but were brought to Japan around the 16th Century (during the Warring States Era, how convenient )

**_tsuyu:_** (literally: plum rain) Japan's rainy season (also called **_baiyu_**) that typically runs from June to mid-July and coincides with the ripening of the ume

**_Goshinboku: _**god tree, the tree Kikyou pinned Inuyasha to

**_osuwari:_** (honorable) sit

**_shikon no kakera:_** shikon (jewel) shards

**_Inu-no-nii-chan:_** dog brother, what Souta calls Inuyasha

**_tama:_** jewel

**_shoji:_** (modern use: translucent paper doors or windows) as I am not satisfied with my understanding of the differences between the different names for Japanese doors and screens, and shoji was originally used "to designate every movable and light structure… inside a Japanese house", I am using this term for any traditional, Japanese-style sliding doors _quote courtesy of _http : www . hikyaku . com / dico / histxtg3 . html (remove spaces

**_youki:_** demon energy

_**oden:** _one kind of Japanese stew (Kagome's favorite), traditionally a winter dish

_**arigatou gozaimasu:** _thank you very much

**_ofuda: _**anti-evil scroll

_**nee-chan:** _sister

**_okaa-san/kaa-san: _**mother/mom

**_Tatari Mokke:_** (literally: unexpected curse) Soul Piper

_**baka**: _an insult; can be translated to fool, idiot, stupid, etc.

**_haori:_ **the red "jacket" part of Inuyasha's outfit, worn over his white under-kimono


	3. Hit the Road, Already!

Unexpected Ally

disclaimer: YYH belongs to Yoshihiro Tagashi; IY belongs to Rumiko Takahashi; Unfortunately, I am neither one of them!

Chapter 2: Hit the Road, Already!

The sunlight was just beginning to fill the room when Inuyasha's nose started to twitch. His ears perked up as he took a couple deep sniffs, trying to determine what exactly had woke him. His stomach grumbled a little, as the smell of breakfast cooking woke him the rest of the way. He sat up and looked to his left to see Kagome was still asleep, hugging her pillow tightly. He debated whether he should wake her. The memory of her temper last night made him think better of it.

Instead, he made his way to the bathroom, careful to follow all the instructions he'd received on the proper use of indoor "plumbing" (whatever that was). Kagome had explained it all when he'd been in her time before, but he had forgotten most of it since the last time, and as Kagome wasn't speaking to him last night, her mother had had to refresh his memory. _'Oh, yeah,'_ he thought sarcastically, as the memory of the flush demonstration flashed in his mind, _'that was fun.'_ He frowned, mentally promising himself that that would **_never_** happen again, as he exited the bathroom, business done.

He padded back to Kagome's room, deciding to retrieve his haori before going downstairs. Once again fully dressed, he turned to leave, but took only two steps before turning back to, once again, look at Kagome. She looked so peaceful laying there in her pink-covered bed, he couldn't help but smile as he crept closer, thinking how deceptively fragile she looked while sleeping.

He knew better, of course, having been on the receiving end of more than a few of her slaps, not to mention her dreaded 'word.' It may have been the knowledge of this, most of all, that caused his fascination in watching her sleep. He got to the side of her bed and kneeled down beside it, careful not to touch the bed, lest it move and wake her. He took a precautionary whiff, while listening to her breathing, making sure she was still thoroughly asleep. Satisfied, he gently laid his chin on the edge of the bed to watch her face as she dreamt. He wondered what she was dreaming of as her soft smile suddenly turned to a frown, hoping she wasn't being plagued by memories of past battles.

Inuyasha reached his hand towards Kagome's face, hoping to soothe the creases of the frown from her forehead and calm her. Before he could touch her, though, Kagome spoke in a dreamy tone.

"Inuyasha…" his hand stopped, hovering right beside her face, as he waited with bated breath for her to finish, "…Inuyasha, osuwari." The poor hanyou barely had time to move his hand to avoid smacking her as he fell to the floor with a sound 'crash.' She had done it again. She had 'sat' him in her sleep! This girl must get some sadistic pleasure from that power if she **_dreamed_** about it so often. He hadn't heard her talk in her sleep all night, but as soon as her dreams turn towards him eating dirt (or floor, as was the case now) her voice rang out, clear as can be!

Kagome woke at the sound of the crash and peered over her bed at the prostrate hanyou. "Inuyasha? What happened? Are you okay?" Kagome questioned, worriedly.

Inuyasha struggled against the spell, leaping to his feet as soon as he was able, and pointed an accusing finger at Kagome, "What the hell does it **_look_** like, wench?!! Do you **_always_** 'sit' me in your sleep, or just when I'm around to hear it?!"

Kagome puzzled at the accusation, hearing him grumble something about "sadistic bitches" under his breath. Her telltale eyebrow twitched. "I should 'it' you just for that, Inuyasha! What in the world are you talking about?!"

He glared at her, disbelieving, "What the hell do you **_mean_** 'what am I talking about?' You think I threw **_myself_** to the floor, for my **_health_**?! You fucking **_'sat'_** me in your sleep **_again_**, bitch!"

Inuyasha gulped nervously, his ears flattening in expectation as he finally noticed the eyebrow. He knew it was coming, and nothing would stop it now.

"Osuwari! OSUWARI!! O-SU-WA-RI!!! **_There_**, at least **_that_** time, I got to **_enjoy_** it!!" Kagome huffed as she stomped out of the room, heading for the bathroom. Inuyasha wisely waited until she was out of earshot before…

"I knew it! Fucking sadistic bitch…" he grumbled into his indentation in the floor.

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Mama peeked into the room just as Inuyasha was, once again, picking himself up from the ground. She forced down a giggle as she realized what the yelling she'd heard from downstairs must've been. The poor boy… he just always seemed to get himself into trouble with her Kagome_. 'Oh well,' _she thought to herself,_ 'no need to make it worse by bringing it up. I'll just act like I don't know anything happened.' _She put on a pleasant smile.

"Oh, good, Inuyasha," she began cheerfully, stepping into the room with an armful of empty luggage, "you're up! Breakfast is ready, why don't you come down? There's lots to do today, and we need to get started. It's almost 7 already!" She set the luggage on her daughter's bed before turning and leaving the room.

'_Oh yeah…'_ the hanyou mused to himself, _'breakfast. That's why I woke up in the first place. How'd I get so sidetracked…' _He smirked. He knew how. But, damn, if it wouldn't have been less painful to just go downstairs in the first place!

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By the time Kagome dressed and came down to the kitchen, Inuyasha was on his third rolled omelet, having had two bowlfuls of miso soup and one bowl of rice already. He didn't care much for the pickled vegetables, and the natto was pretty much vile with his heightened senses. Kagome, however, treated the spread table to a look of utter pleasure, as she sat in her usual chair at the breakfast table. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been able to eat such a feast for breakfast!

Within a few minutes, the other members of the household were seated at the table as well. Buyo made his appearance, too, rubbing against legs and complaining to be fed as well. Souta snuck the cat part of his egg as Mama got up to fill the cat dish, to which Buyo purred gratefully, while licking the last bit of egg from the boy's fingers. Grandpa Higurashi ate quickly, and excused himself from the table to sweep the shrine and open for visitors.

As Mama began clearing away the breakfast things, she told the rest of the family of the plans for the day. Their fellow vacationers were to arrive around 11, giving them time to eat lunch together before starting on the four hour drive. She had reserved the van they would use with her credit card, since Kikugawa-san had reserved the cabin (though all three mothers were paying their equal shares, per child, for the vacation). However, Juri would be picking the van up on her way to the shrine, as she needed to show her license and sign for the insurance. Mama Higurashi had planned on helping Kagome and Souta pack until then, but had realized a crucial point that neither her daughter, nor her friend from the past, seemed to: Inuyasha would be spending a week in their modern era and only had the clothes on his back! Therefore, she had come to the discerning conclusion that, while her children packed, shopping was in order for the boy.

"I've left a list of things to pack, Kagome, just so you two don't forget the important things," Mama said, pointing to the paper stuck to the refrigerator door with a cat magnet. "I'll take Inuyasha to get some clothes and things while you and Souta pack your things. We should be back in time for me to help you pack the cooler and beach things, though, and then I'll get lunch ready for us all. Grandpa will be busy in the shrine visitor's center, so he probably won't be back to bug you for your stories while you're trying to pack," she smiled pleasantly, squeezing her eyes shut momentarily with her smile (like so: ). "Kagome, do you think you could try to find something for Inuyasha to wear to the mall? There may be something that fits him in the boxes of your father's clothes in my closet…" she trailed off.

Kagome understood, "Sure, mama, it's okay. I can do it." She hugged her mother reassuringly, pecking her on the cheek before setting off to her task.

She found an old, red baseball team-logo T-shirt and a pair of dark grey sweats, thinking they would be the easiest to get him in, no matter the size difference. Her father had been shorter than Inuyasha, and slightly bigger around, but the sweats had been long on him and had a drawstring waist. It took a little longer to find suitable shoes, since her father had had only one pair of sandals, and they were in the bottom of the box full of shoes, which had been the box on the bottom of the pile, as it was the heaviest. It would be worth it, though, if she could actually **_get_** the barefoot boy into the contraptions.

It took quite a bit of coaxing and arguing, before Inuyasha finally gave in to the torturous foot entrapments. He had saved himself, just in time, from a 'sitting', and he knew it. He'd count himself lucky, for now, that it was just his feet that would suffer. Stuffing the red ball cap that Kagome provided him over his ears, he began to follow Mama out the door, when Kagome called to him.

"Wait, Inuyasha! I have to cast the concealment spell on you."

"Keh, what for? Not like it does any good. I've still gotta wear this 'cap' thing, so why waste the time and energy it takes you?" Inuyasha folded his arms in his usual manner, immediately lamenting the loss of his abundant sleeves, as he closed his eyes and stuck his nose up haughtily.

Kagome narrowed her eyes at his manner, but realized he was showing his concern for her, also. "Inuyasha, I still think it's safer if I do it. You never know, there could be other people out there that have some awareness, also. We don't need to risk a scene while you're out with mama. Plus, how will I get better if you don't let me practice?"

She led (well, okay, mostly dragged) him back inside, closing the shoji, so as not to be seen by possible shrine visitors. Kagome kept him right by the door so he wouldn't have to take his shoes off to slip into the house slippers, effectively avoiding another inevitable shoe fight with the hanyou.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to focus her spiritual ki towards the spell, envisioning her intended outcome as she spoke the words of the spell. A faint, pink glow momentarily engulfed him, then faded in the blink of an eye, as his youki and most of his scent were masked. Neither could be quite sure that was the effect it had had, as they were both too closely linked to the spell to be affected by it. They both assumed, though, since the spell had been cast the same as it had many times during her practice, that it had the same effect this time.

Kagome followed Inuyasha out to say goodbye to her mother. Inuyasha looked at the car apprehensively, having heard Mama Higurashi say she would 'drive', remembering Kagome's unease over the activity the night before. Oblivious, the older woman opened the passenger door for the hanyou.

"Okay, Inuyasha, you just sit in here like you would on a chair, and I'll do the rest."

Kagome, however, thought better of this idea, "Maybe you should start the car first, Mama, and give him a little demonstration so he doesn't try to shred it from the inside!" Her voice had a giggle behind it as she saw the suspicious look on Inuyasha's face, indicating that was just what he had been contemplating. Mama nodded, shutting the door she had opened and walking around the car to get in the driver's seat on the right.

Kagome turned to Inuyasha, "This will be loud, but it's not going to hurt her or us."

As Mama started the car, Inuyasha flinched and flattened his ears against the sound. Instinctively, he reached to his hip, but found Tetsusaiga missing, having forgotten to retrieve it from his futon in Kagome's room. Recovering from this realization in a split-second, he leapt towards the monster, claws bared.

"Osuwari!" Inuyasha got a faceful of concrete as the spell brought him down less than a meter from the car. Kagome walked over to her friend, shaking her head slightly in pity as she knelt beside him. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha, but I did tell you," she admonished. He knew she was right, but that didn't make the concrete 'sit' any better.

Once he regained his composure, he was instructed on how to open the car doors, buckle his seatbelt, and general behavior of a car (in hopes that he would not attempt another attack). Kagome retrieved Inuyasha's neglected sword, at his request, and performed the concealment spell on it before taking it out to him.

With the spell in place, the scabbard and sword would remain invisible as long as Tetsusaiga was sheathed. As with the concealment spell she'd put on him moments earlier, however, both Kagome and Inuyasha were not affected by the spell on the sword. Kagome, because she'd cast the spell, and Inuyasha, because the sword was connected to him through his and his father's fangs. They knew for sure the spell had worked this time, though, as Mama Higurashi seemed confused as Inuyasha seemingly mimed fastening a sword to his side.

Once these tasks were completed, Inuyasha proceeded to expertly open his own car door, suffering only minor entanglement with the seatbelt before getting it right on the second try. They set off on their endeavor, leaving Kagome behind, waving and praying that there would be no further incidents without her there to settle him.

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The morning did pass without too much incident. Inuyasha behaved himself in the car, and Mama opted not to turn on the radio, just for good measure. At the shopping center, he scowled at the surging throngs of ningen shoppers, but followed Higurashi-san nonetheless. He had a certain respect for mothers in general, and Kagome's mom was one to be reckoned with, if her daughter was any indication.

They went to a few stores, and, though it took a bit of persuasion, finally ended up with a nice-sized wardrobe for the hanyou. Mama bought several pairs of shorts and T-shirts, a couple pairs of sweats, two pairs of swimming trunks, two beach towels, and a properly sized pair of wide, open-toed sandals (the latter of which were put on right away, as the shoes he had worn there were far too small). Inuyasha had huffed at the suggestion to get a couple pairs of jeans, being used to the freedom-of-movement his hakama afforded him, and quite insistent he would not abide such torture if he was already expected to wear the supplied footwear on a regular basis.

Mama had just chuckled and moved on to the sleepwear department of the store they had been in. There, she picked him up a couple pairs of cotton pajamas, and, going by the size of those, also got a few packages of boxers for him. She knew he was probably still wearing his fundoshi, but that just wouldn't cut it for a week on the beach. When she explained what the shorts were for, he had blushed furiously, and snatched them quickly from her hands as they made their way to the cash register.

On their way back to the shrine, they stopped off at a drugstore to get some shower things for Inuyasha. Mama didn't think he would want to use the sakura-scented bodywash, shampoo, or conditioner she normally bought for her daughter. Finding some more manly-scented products, and managing to find a conditioner suitable to Inuyasha's hair length and thickness, Mama then helped him pick out an antiperspirant. He sniffed at the connotation that he had an offending odor, sorely reminded of a certain ookami's many barbs, but tried not to take it as an insult when it was explained that most people in this time used the stuff-even Kagome. Shopping finally complete, they arrived back home ten minutes before 11.

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Mama had just finished setting out lunch, which she had already mostly prepared while cooking breakfast earlier that morning, when Juri arrived with the van. Kikugawa-san was right behind her with Aki and Haru, and Hino-san was close behind them with Satoru. All made polite conversation in the living room as they waited for Kagome and Inuyasha to join them for the meal. After pleasant introductions to the addition to their group (Kagome was almost in awe of Inuyasha's tolerance of the formalities of bowing and such), they finally headed into the breakfast area for an informal lunch.

Mama served hiyashi chuka and a variety of onigiri, along with cold tofu and dipping sauces. Especially for Inuyasha, since he had cooperated with her insistence of trying on clothes, she prepared 3 packages of his favorite instant ramen. He also had a few onigiri and a couple cans of the lemon soft drink Kagome usually brought back to the Sengoku Jidai with her. The meal was eaten quickly, and with little conversation other than by the mothers.

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The van was packed tight with various-sized luggage, beach bags, two coolers, a few bags of groceries, two schoolbook-filled backpacks (courtesy of the two girls) and, ultimately, 7 beach-bound children of varying ages. Juri was given a purse of extra money for her and her brothers to use on food and souvenirs. Satoru and Souta's money was given to Kagome along with hers. Hino-san took the opportunity to personally thank Kagome for her help, both with Mayu, before, and now Satoru. Kikugawa-san and Higurashi-san both went over the map with Juri for probably the 20th time, and her mother also provided her with a cell phone in case of an emergency on the road. Finally, the overprotective hens quit their pecking, giving their children permission to go.

"Kami-**_sama_**, let's **_hit the road_**, already!" Juri exclaimed as they finally pulled away from the shrine.

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Elsewhere in Tokyo, a small D-class youkai was lurking in an alley, peering out cautiously for his chance to fully escape into Ningenkai. Just as he was about to make a mad dash…

"Going somewhere?" A voice called from behind him, a smirk firmly fixed on the speaker's face. Before the Makai-escapee could have a second thought, Yuusuke shot his Spirit Gun, obliterating it completely.

"You realize, of course, that that was at least triple the strength needed to take him down, don't you?" A calm, even voice asked conversationally.

Yuusuke looked over his shoulder at his friend, dropping his hands from their shooting position and flashing a toothy grin, "It was nice and flashy, though, wasn't it, Kurama?"

The crimson-locked boy turned his head to discreetly roll his eyes, "Well, we should probably meet up with the others. This is the fourth one we've come across since last night, and I'm sure we're not the only ones that have seen them. I'm surprised Koenma hasn't called us all in yet."

"Feh, toddler doesn't need to alert us to the presence of **_these_** punks. Even Kuwabara would've been able to handle them, if he were here. Still, it's a nice change of pace from how slow it's been lately. Last night was the first breach since school went on summer holiday two weeks ago. I wonder if Kuwabara's run into any of these things on his trip with Shizuru?"

Kurama shrugged his shoulders, his hands in his pockets, "I wouldn't be surprised. He and Shizuru would both be able to sense them, and Kuwabara wouldn't let those feelings go unchecked, especially with his sister with him."

"Oh, well… I guess if we're gonna gather everybody together, we should stop by his house and see if they're back yet. He said they'd be back in three days, and that would be today, but he didn't say what time."

Stepping out of the alley, the Reikai Tantei turned in the direction of their friend's home and… hit the road… to their destination.

End Chapter 2

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A/N: As far as I can tell, Satoru and Mayu's mother isn't given a "first" name or a family name. I'm naming her Hino Natsumi (family name first) for this story. Also, in case anyone wonders, the names I chose for OC's in my story were chosen at random just because I liked the sound of them, not for any specific meaning (although they may have one).

Words First Appearing in Chapter Two:

_**miso soup **(seemingly self-explanatory, but for the extra-inquisitive)_a soup made from miso paste (bean paste made from a mixture of soybeans, malted rice, and salt that takes about 10 months to be ready to use); tofu and vegetables are usually added to the soup as well; this soup is a staple in Japanese homes, as most Japanese-style meals include a cup of miso soup

**_natto: _**fermented soybeans (definitely an acquired taste)

**_Kikugawa-san: _**just a note that I'm using this term, in this chapter, to refer to Juri, Aki and Haru's mother

**_hakama_**: the pants part of Inuyasha's outfit

**_fundoshi: _**traditional Japanese loincloth

**_ookami: _**wolf

**_hiyashi chuka_**: a Japanese dish for summer; essentially a cold ramen noodle salad prepared with other vegetables and ingredients (this is NOT made with instant ramen noodles)

**_onigiri: _**essentially, a type of Japanese "sandwich"; consists of rice ball stuffed with a certain "gu", which could be fish, umeboshi (pickled plums) or konbu (a type of tangled seaweed used in some Japanese dishes); this is then wrapped in dried seaweed and eaten

**_Ningenkai: _**human realm/world

**_Makai: _**demon realm/world

**_Reikai: _**spirit realm/world

**_Tantei: _**detective

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Please read and review!


	4. An Unusual Quest

Unexpected Ally

disclaimer: YYH belongs to Yoshihiro Tagashi; IY belongs to Rumiko Takahashi; Unfortunately, I am neither one of them!

Chapter Three: An Unusual Quest

They had been driving in silence for almost twenty minutes. Well, silence wasn't exactly the right description. The four young boys in the van had not shut up since they had left the shrine. They had started off with enthusiastic exclamations about how this was 'gonna be the best summer break ever!' which had quickly turned into discussions of what they would do at the beach. Then they had broken off into aimless talk about anything and everything under the sun that they could evidently think of: school, sports, video games, music, back to video games.

Still, with all the liveliness of the youngest passengers of the van, a slightly uncomfortable silence had taken the teenagers hostage. Well, that wasn't exactly true, either. Inuyasha had settled into his seat, leaning against the window, and appeared to be dozing. Appeared to be, because Kagome suspected he may just have been trying to avoid questions from Souta and his friends, all of whom were sure to soon be added to Inuyasha's Crazed Ass Fan Club.

Juri, too, did not seem uncomfortable with the silence, as all her attention was on watching for the correct exit and following all the traffic rules. Still, the longer the older girl didn't talk, the more uncomfortable Kagome seemed to feel. This was the first time they had really seen each other, let alone spent any time together, since Kagome's trips through the well had begun, and she found it slightly odd that Juri didn't seem to be at all interested in why her childhood friend had seemingly dropped off the face of the earth.

Finally, Kagome couldn't take it anymore, "So, Juri-chan, how've you been? I haven't seen you that much, lately. Do you have a boyfriend yet, or is your father still being strict? This is gonna be great, huh? A week at the beach, just like old times!" Kagome's nervousness at being the first to break the silence seemed to make her gush more than usual. Kagome watched the other girl as she drove, trying to patiently wait for a reply. Her nervousness, it seems, was justified.

Juri let out an exasperated sigh as she prepared to speak, "Listen, Kagome-chan, I know you probably think this vacation is going to be all fun and games. Just like old times, right? But that's not why I am here, okay? I am sorry, but my plans for this holiday are much different. I was planning on waiting until we were at the cabin to burst your chipper little bubble, but it seems I am going to have to set down my ground rules for you right away."

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Grunting sounds of struggle could be heard from behind a teetering stack of heavy luggage. Two thick white arms were wrapped around the stack, the knuckles on the attached hands turning even whiter, and the legs visible beneath the stack were beginning to buckle at the knees. A voice called out from behind the pile, "Jeez, Shizuru, did you buy up **_all_** of those new products they showcased? When I agreed to come to that hairdresser's convention with you, I didn't know I was going to play the part of your bellboy!"

The luggage tower began to lean to the right a bit too much, and Kuwabara Kazuma hurried to correct the imbalance, overcompensating and effectively starting a comical dance back and forth to keep the bags from falling.

"Oh, come on, little brother," Shizuru rebuked, turning around to look at the talking suitcases, "stop whining and act like the powerful superhero you're always claiming to be! It's just a few bags of clothes and hair products!" The smug girl turned back to her previous activity of carrying her purse and her brother's single suitcase into the front door of the apartment building.

Two pairs of eyes, one chocolate brown, the other emerald green, looked on the scene in amusement as they approached.

"Yeah, come on, Kuwabara, you can't handle a few travel bags? You really **_are_** a wimp, aren't you?" Yuusuke chuckled as he poked fun at his friend.

The sound of the voice behind him startled the tall redhead, and he promptly dropped the bags in surprise and looked around. "Urameshi, temee…" the boy cried as he spotted his friends, ran to grab Yuusuke, and promptly began to wrestle him for a headlock. Kurama looked on in feigned disinterest, though he was holding back a chuckle.

"I'm sure you're both very happy to see each other, but we should continue this inside. We did come here for a reason, after all, Yuusuke."

With that, the crimson-locked kitsune-boy strode nonchalantly to the discarded bags, picking up a few, and joined Shizuru by the front entrance. The older girl smiled thankfully at him.

"Thank you, Kurama. At least **_someone_** is helpful," she looked in her brother's direction again to see the two boys were now deadlocked, each in a headlock, and neither one budging to let go first. Shizuru rolled her eyes. "Come on, you two! Or are you conceding that Kurama here is more of a man than the two of you combined?"

As she turned to enter the building, Kurama caught a slight wink from her. He shook his head as he chuckled at the looks of disbelief on his comrades' faces, knowing full well Shizuru had purposely challenged their masculinity to get just such a reaction. They were, after all, always calling **_him_** the bishounen of the group. Kurama followed her inside, leaving Yuusuke and Kuwabara fighting over who would carry more bags.

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"So, wait, you guys are telling me there've been four escaped D-classers since 9 o'clock last night? Why hasn't Koenma called you in yet, Urameshi?"

The black-haired boy merely shrugged his shoulders from his laid-back position on the couch, looking up at his friend, who had leapt from the sofa opposite him when Yuusuke and Kurama had revealed the reason for their visit. Shizuru was leaning against a wall, taking it all in as she observed their conversation, smoking her cigarette in silence. Kurama sat back in an armchair, his legs and arms crossed, contemplating.

"I've been wondering that very thing, Kuwabara," Kurama's smooth voice answered, a puzzled expression on his face. "He usually calls us all in for the slightest hint of a threat to the barriers, but four youkai in a span of less than twenty-four hours suggests a notable weakening of the barrier between Makai and Ningenkai, yet we've had no word from him."

Yuusuke cut in, "Maybe it's just a fluke and we're reading too much into this. We all know what a worrywart Koenma is. If he's not concerned about it, why should we be? We've handled them all just fine, anyway, and they've all been pretty harmless to begin with."

"Yes, Yuusuke, but let's not forget the other reason we came here," Kurama turned his attention once more to the standing boy, "Kuwabara, we were also wondering if you'd come across anything similar on your travels; seen anything or sensed anything? We should at least try to investigate whether these incidents are isolated to Tokyo or if the problem is more widespread."

Kuwabara thought about the question, trying to remember having any strange feelings in his awareness in the past three days. He couldn't think of any. "I don't remember anything," he said, shaking his head. "If I had, I definitely would've tried to find it. It would've kept me busy while Shizuru was at her hairdresser convention-thing. There was nothing to do in that little town, not even a decent arcade!"

"You're getting off-track there, Kazuma," Shizuru broke into the conversation, "I remember having a foreboding feeling…" She let the statement trail off, taking a deep drag from her cigarette. All three boys looked at her in surprise.

"Why didn't you say anything, Shizuru?!!" Kuwabara exclaimed.

"Well, for one, little brother," the sandy-brown-haired girl began, slowly exhaling a long stream of smoke, "it was a distant feeling, like it wasn't happening yet, and when it did, it wouldn't be in that town. That's why I planned our trip short, instead of staying the whole five days. I had a feeling you would need to be back here today, and you are. I didn't tell you earlier because you couldn't have done anything about it then. Now that we're back, maybe you can. Look, I won't try to tell you guys what to do. You're the detectives, not me, but I do believe that these incidents are **_not_** just a fluke. That feeling I have is getting stronger with each passing hour, and I don't think it'll subside anytime soon."

Yuusuke stood up and walked over to the girl, studying her calm face skeptically. "How can you say that so calmly, Shizuru? If what you're sayin' is true, you've had this feeling since before you two even left on your trip. Why aren't you more shaken up or worried?" he questioned her, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I imagine," Kurama answered easily, standing up as well, "Shizuru is used to these feelings, as she's had an extraordinary awareness all her life. She probably feels something similar every time something big is on the horizon for us."

"That's true, Kurama," Shizuru answered, "but it's much worse this time than it's ever been before. I'm calm because you guys have never failed before, and I don't expect you to this time, but that doesn't mean you should be careless. Don't just wait for the other shoe to drop before you get proactive about this, or you **_could_** fail."

"Well, I still don't understand why Koenma hasn't contacted us if there's a threat to Ningenkai. I mean, what's he so busy doin' in Reikai that he doesn't notice four breakthroughs? All he does is stamp papers all day, right?" Kuwabara added his two cents to the conversation.

"Whatever it is, it must be important if this situation is going unnoticed. I think we should do a sweep of the city and try to contact Reikai. Yuusuke, do you still have that compact Botan gave you?" Kurama asked the detective.

Yuusuke rubbed the back of his head with an open palm, thinking. "Oh… yeah, I've still got it. I think it's at home in my room somewhere. We can stop by and get it while we're checkin' out the city."

A plan in place, the three boys headed out of the building.

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"George! George! Where are you?!!" A voice demanded from behind many tottering towers of paperwork stacked on and around a large desk.

"H-Hai, Koenma-sama?" The blue oni answered his boss nervously.

The past two days had been absolute chaos in the Reikai offices. A catastrophic misfiling of Judgment files had resulted in a mass of lost paperwork having to be replaced on short notice, in order to avoid an even bigger catastrophe of having 400-odd souls basically unregistered and unaccounted for. The delay this caused resulted in limbo being filled up with those still awaiting judgment, their paperwork quickly stacking up in Koenma's office, and setting him behind at least two weeks. Then, there was the other new development, which they still hadn't even **_begun_** to figure out.

"George," Koenma called out again from behind his paper prison, "will you do something about all this paperwork?! Get me some assistants in here, or something! I've got to address that surge of reiki that showed up on the monitors this morning, but I can't leave this mess unmanaged. Father will spank me for a week straight if he finds out about this, and he's coming back tomorrow!"

"Hai, Koenma-sama!" George bowed to the paper wall and left to do his master's bidding.

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Kurama ducked as another book was tossed towards his head, barely missing him and hitting Kuwabara, who had just walked in behind him, squarely in the chest.

"Oof… Urameshi!!"

"Yeah, yeah, hold on," Yuusuke answered, still tossing things over his shoulder, oblivious to what they were hitting, and making an even bigger mess of his room than it had been before he began. "I **_know_** it's gotta be here **_somewhere_**!" Yuusuke grunted as he tried to dig more junk out from under his bed to look for the Reikai compact communicator.

"Perhaps you left it somewhere else, Yuusuke?" Kurama offered, peering around the room at the mountainous piles of clothes, manga, video games, and who knew what else. Kurama, for one, thought he probably didn't **_want_** to know.

Yuusuke finally sat back up and slumped against his bed. He, too, took in the state of his room, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Maybe I did," he admitted, "but I can't think where…"

"Jeez, Urameshi, your room is a disaster area. You should put up warnings or something," Kuwabara exclaimed suddenly, still holding the old school English textbook that had hit him. It's brief flight through the air had been the most use it had gotten in years, if not ever.

Yuusuke ignored him. "Let me see… the last time I had it… Keiko made me go to the last day of school before summer break… and I…" Yuusuke's eyes went wide as he jumped up and started searching his room again, flinging things back and forth as he tore down piles and made new ones. He searched his closet frantically, coming up with nothing. His search of his room still unfruitful, he went to search the rest of the house.

The two redheaded boys stared after him, dumbfounded. Within a couple minutes, the black-haired boy returned, still empty-handed, a crestfallen look on his face.

"Well, Urameshi? 'You…' what?" Kuwabara ventured.

Yuusuke turned to leave once again, signaling them to follow with a jerk of his head. They followed him to the front door, replacing their house slippers with their shoes just as Yuusuke did, and walked out the door.

"Are you going to let us in on your epiphany, Yuusuke?" Kurama asked, unable to hold his intrigue back any longer.

Yuusuke merely continued walking, down the stairs, out the building, and onto the sidewalk in an all-too-familiar direction. Kuwabara and Kurama followed, curious.

After about ten minutes of silently following, Kuwabara was fed up, "Urameshi! Will you tell us where we're going already? Are we heading where I think we're heading?!!"

Yuusuke ignored him once again, speaking to the kitsune instead. "Hey, Kurama, you know how to break into locked buildings, right?"

Kurama quirked a brow. Okay, his curiosity was definitely peaked. "I never forget anything I take so long to perfect, Yuusuke," the boy answered smoothly, a hint of Youko's kitsune pride coloring his tone.

"Good, that'll make this a whole lot easier," Yuusuke replied, cracking his knuckles before clasping his hands behind his head as he walked.

They walked about ten more minutes before the question of where exactly they were headed was unmistakably answered. The big brick building that was their new highschool loomed into view as they rounded a corner, and Kurama understood that he would soon be breaking and entering into his place of education. He would have to make sure he could not be caught, as it would ruin his unstained human reputation. It would be simple enough, however, and he had no second thoughts.

"Are you gonna tell us what we're here for now, Urameshi?" Kuwabara tried asking once more.

"Urasai, Kuwabara!" Yuusuke was irritated at himself enough as it was, without Kuwabara hassling him. He couldn't believe he had done it in the first place. Then again, how often was it that he actually brought it with him to school, anyway? He hardly made use of it, since he rarely attended class. Yuusuke shook his head at himself, "Let's just get inside, first. You'll see soon enough."

Kurama set to work scouting out every point of entry imaginable on the school. All the main and secondary entrances were locked and chained with a padlock. All the windows were locked tight, as well, and had metal-barred shutters locked over them on the outside to discourage just what the boys were attempting.

Kurama, however, was **_not_** discouraged. Quite the opposite, in fact. His inquisitive kitsune nature was taking over; this puzzle would be solved, and soon. Kurama took one of his seeds from his hair, concentrating his youki on it to help it grow, then brought it near the lock on one of the side windows. It was a small, vine-like creature, with vines almost as thin as spider silk. Its looks, however, were deceiving, as it was strong enough to rip the bars off the window if Kurama so desired. In this situation, though, stealth was required. They would leave the school exactly as they found it, minus one mysterious item.

The vines climbed into the lock on the 'shutters', picking and prodding at the inner-workings until a satisfying 'click' was heard by all. Kurama swung the bars out on their hinges and directed the vines to slip in through the miniscule space between the window and the frame. The plant obediently slipped in and unlocked the inside lock, allowing Kurama to pull it open and all three boys to slip inside.

They shuffled down the hallways full of lockers, following Yuusuke silently. Finally, he came to a stop in front of his own battered locker, turning the dial on the combination lock to the numbers required to open it. At least… he **_thought_** those were the right numbers…

'_Damn, who'd have thought I'd actually **want** to remember my combination?' _

He tried several more times, several different combinations of the same numbers, to no avail. He just didn't attend school often enough to know the numbers by heart.

"Let me try." Kurama knelt by the locker, putting his ear close to the lock as he turned it this way and that. Finally hearing the faint clicks he was waiting for, he found the right combination, pulled up the handle, and stepped aside for his friend.

"Wow, I wasn't even close, was I?" Yuusuke stared at the crimson-haired boy in awed respect, before remembering the task at hand.

Kurama tried to act indifferent to the praise, but the kitsune in him couldn't help but preen over the words. No one noticed, however, as the attention was now on the insides of Yuusuke's locker.

The locker was full of schoolbooks, badly graded papers, unfinished and untouched homework assignment sheets, all kinds of trash and a couple suspicious-smelling lunchbags. On top of all this was stuffed a black schoolbag, seemingly brand-new as Yuusuke rarely actually brought it to school.

This particular item was exactly what they had come for. Yuusuke tugged at it, managing to get it out with only a minimal amount of the locker's contents spilling onto the floor. Kurama grabbed the lunchbags before Yuusuke could stuff them back in with the rest of the fallen items, and dropped them into the nearest trash can.

Yuusuke set the bag down and unzipped it, searching for his prize. Finally, at the bottom of the bag, he found it. "Aha!" he exclaimed as he wrapped his fingers around the item and pulled it out for his companions to see. In his fist he held the small compact communicator that had started this unusual quest. Satisfied to have found it, he put it back in the bag, zipped it, and shouldered it as they made their way back to their window entrance. They hopped out the window and Kurama closed it, directing his vine to lock it all back up before they left.

The sun was just beginning to play its colors across the sky, signaling the coming setting of the sun. It would be completely dark within about two hours. They decided to finish their sweep of the city before contacting Koenma, just to make sure nothing was overlooked.

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Juri glanced to her left at the now-sleeping Kagome. She really did feel bad for having to bluntly correct Kagome's plans for the holiday. It wasn't Kagome's fault that Juri was only along because of her brothers, but she'd be damned before she let the enticements of a beach vacation ruin her chances at going to Tokyo University.

She'd already failed the entrance exam once, and her father would have her head if she failed it again. She had less than a year to retake it, and all her extra time since her initial failure had been spent either studying or attending yobiko. She would make her family proud, no matter how many vacations she had to give up. Her brothers, however, had been promised a great summer break, and as neither of her parents could spare the time from work, she had been 'volunteered' as their chaperone and chauffeur for the trip.

Oh well, she would just have to make the most of it. That is how she had made the decision to study during the day, while Kagome took charge of the boys, and take the responsibility over at night so she could still study while they ate and played video games. She'd hoped it wouldn't be too much responsibility for the 16-year-old, but when she'd seen that Kagome had brought another friend, she had felt less guilty about her intentions. Surely this boyfriend of Kagome's would help her out with the youngsters.

Juri shook herself from her daze, shifting her concentration completely to the road ahead of her. It was nearing sunset now, and the sun was glaring off the nearby water, dazzling her eyes and making them water a bit. They were currently driving next to some rocky cliffs overlooking the sea, as Juri brought the vacationers closer and closer to their resort destination.

'_Won't be too long now,'_ Juri thought to herself, ready to be done with driving for the night. The rest of her passengers were asleep, though Inuyasha's ears, unbeknownst to the others, were still highly attentive underneath his ballcap, smushed as they were. Not that he could hear much of anything, beyond the inside of the car, over the sounds of the engine. Juri just wanted a cup of tea and a bed to collapse on. Oh, yes, she was **_so_** ready to be done driving.

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From atop a rocky, tree-covered cliff, a small hole began to grow in the Ningenkai barrier. Suddenly, a body leapt deftly from it, landing right at the edge of the darkly-shaded cliff and peering down. Acquiring his target, he eyed a silver van driving along the bend in the road, just a few meters away from his position above the road. He judged the distance, preparing to leap, when suddenly the thick 'swoosh' of heavy metal slicing through the air met his ears.

The youkai turned his head to meet the fool that would threaten him, meeting glowing claret eyes, and realizing too late that the night air was not all that had been sliced through. His body split apart in numerous places, blood spurting to the ground, just as the recognition of his fate crossed his face. He fell to the ground, dead in a muddy pool of his own blood, his eyes still wide in shock.

The katana was wiped off and resheathed before the van had completely passed below the cliff. Hiei trained his eyes on the silver vehicle until it was out of sight, wondering what was so special about it that his prey would've risked his life waiting for the right moment to jump to it. He shrugged his shoulders, and with a soft, "Hn," ran off again, quicker than the eye, if there had been any living eyes there to see it.

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Little did he know that he **_was_** being watched, as were all the toys in this game. Only a fool would send thieves and assassins out without keeping an eye on them, and therefore the watcher had seen each new player as they'd quickly dispatched of the watcher's newly-acquired lackeys. The watcher's eyes narrowed, but not in anger, no, quite the contrary. The expression was one of sheer pleasure. They had expected this. Everything was on track, exactly as it was meant to play out. Perhaps a slight variation here or there, but the end results were still right on track. A rare grin spread across the watcher's face. Yes, this expression was definitely the beginnings of the ultimate evil gloat. This game would be… most enjoyable.

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**_'Kitsune…'_**

Kurama heard the voice in his head, though it was not his own. He stopped on the sidewalk to wait for the inevitable appearance of the owner. _'Hiei?'_ Kurama answered back into his friend's mind.

Yuusuke and Kuwabara stopped as well, when they noticed their friend had stopped. Following Kurama's gaze, they looked up to see Hiei flash before their eyes as he leapt from a rooftop to where they were standing.

The Tantei had just begun their final leg of the city-sweep after leaving the school. The streets were eerily quiet for summer, though they **_were_** in a rather deserted area of town to begin with. They had not come across anyone or anything they shouldn't, however, in the twenty minutes since they'd left the school. The boys had just started to relax a bit about the danger, but now Hiei stood before them of his own accord.

If Hiei had decided to seek them out, there was **_definitely_** something up, and it couldn't be good.

"Hello, Hiei, so nice of you to grace us with your presence," Yuusuke greeted sarcastically.

"Hn," was the only reply.

"Well, short stuff," Kuwabara demanded, "you gonna tell us why you suddenly decided to drop in on us or what?"

Hiei merely shrugged his shoulders slightly, rolling his eyes so only Kurama could see.

Kuwabara bristled at the obvious snub, finding great displeasure in the fact that Hiei was now doing almost exactly what Yuusuke had about an hour beforehand. Kuwabara began to step forward to challenge the short-statured youkai, fed up with being ignored, when Kurama cut in.

"I assume, Hiei, that you've also stumbled across the situation we've recently discovered concerning the Ningenkai barrier and Makai escapees. Would you please tell us about your experience, and we will share ours?"

Hiei leaned up against the side of a building, crossing his arms and feigning disinterest, but silently agreeing to share his information. "You go first," he insisted, cocking his head towards the kitsune.

Yuusuke and Kurama proceeded to tell, once more, of the four separate youkai they had discovered crossing into Ningenkai.

The first had been seen the night before by Yuusuke, on his way back from dropping Keiko off from their date, just after nine. It had run right past him as it tried to assimilate itself into Ningenkai. Yuusuke had promptly come up behind it and knocked it upside its head. He had meant to just knock it out, but it was a weakling and died quickly from the head trauma.

The second escapee was caught by Kurama about two hours later, as he was strolling through nearby woods. The portal had actually opened up just two trees away from where Kurama had been perched in a tree, feeding his ki off the abundant natural plant life, and giving some of his youki back to encourage more healthy growth. It had taken all of 6 seconds to produce his rose whip and snap it at the unsuspecting youkai, slicing his head clean off at the neck.

The third youkai had essentially walked right into the two boys as they left Yuusuke's apartment building. Kurama had gone to Yuusuke's house early that morning to tell him about the youkai from the night before, and, discovering that his friend had had a similar experience, they'd decided to check out the city together.

When the third youkai's portal had opened on the roof of Yuusuke's apartment building, he had hurried down the stairs, trying not to attract attention to himself by leaping off the building. Unfortunately, he had run right into the backs of the two Tantei as they descended the steps. A small blast of the spirit gun had taken care of that one.

The fourth, as we already know, met the two boys in an alley in the early afternoon, being dispatched by a spirit gun shot that was much larger than needed. All four youkai had been no more than D-class.

They told Hiei how they had then inquired after Kuwabara, learning he had not had any similar experiences. Shizuru's warning was recalled, and they explained how they had come to decide another city-sweep was in order. Kuwabara took it upon himself to remind Yuusuke of how he had misplaced the Reikai communicator, and the school break-in that followed. This actually earned a soft chuckle from the hybrid, which Kuwabara seemed pleased with, since it wasn't him being laughed at.

"So, now, that's where we are," Yuusuke finished, "looking to get an 'all-clear' of the city before we contact the toddler and do his job for him." The boy smirked, "Okay, Hiei, now it's your turn."

Hiei looked up towards the increasingly setting sun as he spoke, his tone almost bored as he spoke matter-of-factly. "I was spending some time in Makai with my katana," he began. Kurama chuckled softly behind his hand, but did not interrupt. Hiei ignored his friend's amusement at his preferred pastime and continued, "I'd dispatched of a number of low-class youkai already, and was about to retire my weapon for the day, when I noticed someone creeping around. He was going back and forth, feeling the air with his hand, when he seemed to find what he was looking for and stopped. That's when I saw that his hand had disappeared into the air, and realized he'd found a weak spot in the barrier. I figured he might be a bit more of a challenge than I'd had all day, since he appeared to be about a class 'C', so I followed him. Unfortunately, he did not put up any kind of fight at all."

"Where had the portal opened to?" Kurama questioned.

"It was a wooded cliff near a white sand beach resort, about four hours out of Tokyo by ningen travel. He was preparing to hitch a ride on a van passing below when I came upon him," Hiei shook his head in disbelief at the memory, "It was pretty foolish. He could've escaped into any direction, but decided to wait to time a jump from a cliff onto a moving vehicle. I was suspicious of his actions, but could sense nothing special about the van or its passengers. The only thing I picked up was a faint dog smell, but I believe that many ningen beach-goers like to bring their… pets… with them?"

The three boys nodded in the affirmative, all thinking on the description the black-haired youkai had just imparted to them. The incident had taken place four hours out of Tokyo. It wasn't isolated only to their city, and from the actions and, seemingly, higher demon class of the latest one, it seemed Shizuru may be right. Something bigger than 'upstarts trying to make a name for themselves by crossing the barriers' was happening here. The question now was… what? Why? Who? Okay, there were quite a few questions, actually.

Yuusuke made up his mind. It was definitely time to contact Koenma.

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About half an hour after her wishing for a bed had begun, Juri was actually enjoying the object of her desires, curled up against the many pillows with a cup of tea and one of her many schoolbooks.

The rest of the cabin's occupants were still busy settling in and unpacking everything.

The cabin actually turned out to be more of a beach cottage, set amidst the campgrounds, and rented out to those that would rather experience living on the beach amidst the nature of the surrounding forests, rather than the modernized, cookie-cutter experience of the resort hotels. It had three bedrooms, the biggest of which was furnished with two sets of bunkbeds for the young boys. There was also a full-size kitchen with a Western table and chairs set, a dining room with the low Japanese table and cushions, living room with full entertainment system, laundry area, two bathrooms, one of which having the traditional Japanese-style soaking tub, and a covered, fully-furnished front porch.

Once the food was put away, Kagome took out the containers of leftovers her mother had packed in the cooler for their dinner that night. She heated what needed heating in the microwave, specially preparing a few instant ramen cups for Inuyasha, and set out dishes and chopsticks for everyone. Juri took her food into her room to continue studying.

After eating, they settled in for a relaxing night of watching and playing video games. Inuyasha caught on pretty quickly to the fighting games, and quickly had a score the younger boys strived for. His fan club was now firmly in place; though, of course, that had not been his intention.

Eventually, they decided to go to bed. Kagome's room had only one bed, but there were extra futons in a storage closet, which she set up on her floor for Inuyasha. Sleep came easily to both, as they were finally getting used to the idea of not being in constant danger as they slept.

End Chapter 3

* * *

Words First Appearing in Chapter Three:

**_temee:_** very rude way to say "you," comparable to "you bastard," though many times it is simply dubbed as "why you…"

**_kitsune: _**fox

**_bishounen: _**pretty boy

**_hai: _**yes

**_oni: _**a type of youkai

**_reiki: _**spiritual energy

**_urasai: _**impolite term meaning "shut up!" or "damn, that's annoying!" or can describe something that is really obnoxious. The literal meaning is closer to "noisy." Mostly, it is translated in dubs as "shut up," though

**_yobiko: _**cram school; may be attended for a year or two between high school and college to better prepare for entrance exams

**_A/N:_** Inuyasha's Crazed Ass Fan Club (ICAF) is a real club on Yahoo! Groups; feel free to join if you love Inuyasha or anime in general! We are in no way associated with the RIFs, and things are really fun there. We're like a big family! Check us out: http : groups . yahoo . com / group / icafclub /(remove spaces) 

**_Stinky-chan:_** Thanks for your review; here's an update! Glad you like the story!

* * *

Reviews are so welcome and greatly appreciated! 


	5. Plans for the Day

Unexpected Ally

Disclaimer: YYH belongs to Yoshihiro Tagashi; IY belongs to Rumiko Takahashi; Unfortunately, I am neither one of them. Pity me!

Chapter 4: Plans for the Day

Yuusuke sat on his sofa, the communicator in his hand, impatiently pushing button after button trying to get a response from the blue-haired Lady Death. Kuwabara was on the other end of the sofa, Kurama had sat himself in a chair, and Hiei was perched at the window, staring out into the bright lights of nighttime Tokyo. All three were silent as they listened to Yuusuke curse the small dead screen once more. He had been at it for about ten minutes already.

"C'mon, Botan! You're the one that told **_me_** to keep this thing with me! Now answer the damn call!" The Spirit Detective yelled into the open communicator. The screen, however, remained blank. The boy glared at the disobedient device, as if it would somehow spring to life out of terror of further invoking his wrath. Still nothing. Growling under his breath, he began tapping the screen impatiently with his index finger.

**Tap, tap, tap.** Pause. **Tap, tap, tap.** Pause. **Tap, tap, tap.** He brought it up to his face again, squinting at the dark screen. Nope, still nothing. Silence settled in the room, finally, until… **tap-tap-tappity-tap-tap-tap-tap!**

**Swish! Swipe! Thump! Click-snap! **

It all happened quicker than sight would allow, but now that the movement that had produced the sounds had ceased, no one had any doubt of what had happened. Hiei stood before Yuusuke now, holding the now-closed compact, a disapproving glare directed at the detective. The latter boy had been pushed back as the spiky-haired youkai had swiped the communicator from his hands, effectively ceasing the incessant tapping.

Kurama hid a smile behind his hand as Yuusuke stared back at the Jaganshi in disbelief. Hiei ignored both, returning to his spot at the window after tossing the stolen item to the confused Kuwabara, who caught it with both hands, nonetheless. Yuusuke crossed his arms as he adjusted his position on the couch, in order to treat the hybrid to his darkened scowl. Greeted with the back of the spiky-haired head, as Hiei had purposely turned his back to the boy when he'd returned to his perch, the tantei then turned his attention to the still stunned Kuwabara.

Just as his fist came up to strike the boy and retrieve his lost item, a shrill ringing broke the silence. Yuusuke's fist froze in midair as his carrot-topped friend jumped a mile at the sudden loud noise emitting from the previously silent device, causing it to be tossed into the air with the abrupt action. Both boys dove for it, scrambling over each other and making no real headway towards the small gadget as it plummeted towards the floor, still trilling shrilly. Before it could hit the floor and, inevitably, be smashed to pieces, it was easily caught by Kurama.

The two struggling teens both puffed a sigh of relief as the kitsune straightened from his bent position to answer the call. The previously black screen now glowed brightly and the pleasant face of a familiar pink-kimono-wearing Reikai employee stared back at the green-eyed boy.

"It's about time," the girl exclaimed, "I thought you would answer right away with how urgently you were calling just now!"

At this, Yuusuke leapt to his feet to confront the girl on the screen. "You're one to talk! What the hell took so long? You're the one always on my case about keeping this thing with me, but I can't expect the same thing from you can I!"

The girl blushed slightly at the accusation, but kept her usual cheery disposition, chirping through the monitor, "Did you need something, Yuusuke?"

"Yeah, we need to see the toddler! There's something strange going on here with the barriers. There've been five escaped youkai in the last 24 hours." As the boy spoke, there was a great commotion behind the ferry-girl, as three paperwork-laden oni crashed and brought Botan down with them. As a result, she did not hear the last part of his statement. Botan struggled to get up as Yuusuke and Kurama watched from their end of the screen.

"Are you okay, Botan?" Kurama asked.

The girl picked up her communicator once again and spoke distractedly, "Huh? Oh, yeah… just a bit hectic around here right now, guys. Anyway, Koenma-sama needs to see you, but he won't be able to until at least tomorrow afternoon. He's been summoned to see Enma Daioh in the morning, and it's expected to be a long meeting. Actually, I'd be surprised if he comes out of there at all tomorrow, all things considered."

Kurama felt his interest spark, "What's happening there, Botan?"

"Oh, nothing to concern yourselves with," she casually waved off his concern with a flick or two of her hand, "just a little error with paperwork. Enma Daioh isn't too happy, though, since he came home early tonight before things were straightened out." A shout from the hallway behind her caused Botan to turn her head, wave, and shout an affirmation. Turning her head back to the compact in her hand, she spoke again hurriedly, "Okay, guys, just needed to let you know that! I'll contact you again when Koenma-sama is able to see you. Bye now!" Without waiting to hear the protests that followed, she ended the call with a press of a button and snapped her compact shut.

The two boys stared once again at a blank screen after the blue-haired girl dimmed from view. Kurama closed the monitor and handed it to Yuusuke.

"I suppose there's nothing to do but keep our eyes open while we wait on Koenma," Kurama sighed with a shrug.

"Feh, what, just wait around here uselessly while who-knows-what escapes into our world!"

"Hn." The non-committal reply was heard from the window. Hiei stood on the ledge of the window, opened it and disappeared into the night.

Kuwabara went to the window, staring out into the night, finding no trace of the small fire apparition.

"Forget it, Kuwabara, he's long gone into Makai by now." Yuusuke walked over to the window to stand beside the taller boy.

The remaining three boys settled back into their previously-seated positions, too wary of the situation to sleep, though they were exhausted from their day of traveling the city. They knew they should at least rest, though, and around midnight they agreed to doze in shifts. Kurama took first watch.

* * *

A few hours later, Kurama awoke to the first rays of the day. Kuwabara was propped up on the couch, arms crossed, head back, snoring loudly. Kurama smirked in amusement at the picture. Kuwabara had had the last shift of the watch for just this reason. Kurama, knowing that he himself would awaken with the dawn, had decided it would most likely be the least dangerous time to have a sleeping guard. Kuwabara had been awoken little over an hour ago to have the shortest shift, yet had obviously not been able to fight off his lingering sleepiness. 

Kurama stretched out the kinks in his back from sleeping in the chair, relaxing his body in order to make better use of his senses. Slipping onto the balcony of Yuusuke's apartment from the nearby sliding glass door, he fanned out his senses, searching for anything out of the ordinary. A strange scent, a spark of youki, an unusual collection of energy; any one of these would earn his special attention. Yet, there was…

'_Nothing. Just the usual energy signatures of Ningenkai and its inhabitants.'_

Kurama frowned. There had been no further encounters in Tokyo since about one the previous afternoon. There had been another breakthrough, yes, but, as Hiei had told them, that was about four hours driving distance outside Tokyo. If the weakening of the barrier was spreading, wouldn't that mean Tokyo would start to be overrun with Makai creatures by now? Perhaps they were looking at this all wrong… Perhaps, just perhaps, the threat was not spreading, but on the move. Kurama felt the excitement of anticipation leap in his soul. It seemed he would have another puzzle to satisfy the inquisitive nature of the Youko that filled every fiber of his being.

_(Don't act as if it is my nature alone that drives us to seek out the answers to our questions)_ A voice slightly deeper than his own, slightly more cunning, but just as silky smooth, interrupted the silence he had been enjoying in his head.

'_Of course not, Youko, this is definitely a case worth our utmost attention. I was merely thinking that this one seems it may be enough to keep even you entertained.'_ He offered a bit of flattery to the silver fox, hoping it may earn him peace inside his mind once again.

_(Must I remind you that I am several centuries old? I am not a child with such a short attention-span that I must be constantly amused.)_ Youko huffed pretentiously.

'_Certainly not, Youko, but you **do** get bored when your skills are not challenged. Seeing as how we haven't had an interesting case in months, I thought you would look forward to the opportunity to test your refined abilities. We will both enjoy the challenge on this one, no doubt.'_ Kurama finally found the right words to placate his Youko and received his desired reward, as the silver kitsune wordlessly preened and settled back down into their soul; though how long it would last was yet to be seen. He would surely be near the forefront of their combined consciousness for the remainder of this mystery; of this, Kurama had no doubt, but he would enjoy the temporary quasi-solitude while it lasted.

Kurama sighed deeply as he returned through the sliding glass door of the porch, preparing himself for the upcoming battle. Neither of the sleeping boys would be too happy about waking up this early during their summer break. Perhaps if breakfast was prepared for them… Kurama decided it was worth a shot, and bypassed the main area of the living room in favor of the direction of the kitchen.

* * *

George's head hung as he accompanied his Master through the endless hallways to King Enma's throne room. Koenma was dragging his feet, sucking furiously on the soothing reiki his pacifier provided him. He normally fed reiki into it, but today he definitely needed a little pick-me-up; a little dip into the stores wouldn't hurt the supply much. Finally, they reached the large doorway, pausing to rap the knocker and receive the call to enter. Koenma nervously ducked into the room, leaving George awaiting him in the hallway. Only a minute or two had passed before the oni could hear the sound whack of his dear Koenma-sama's punishment. 

With every whack, George flinched and mourned, not only for his Master's rear end, but also for his own inevitable treatment later. Koenma would surely be in a cross mood after receiving over 2,000 spankings--one for each soul either misplaced or delayed rightful judgment in the past few days, and the poor blue oni was sure to bear the brunt of his Master's bad mood as usual. George sighed heavily as the pink morning light of Reikai began to stream in through the windows at each end of the hallway. It was sure to be another long day.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Koenma's now paper-free office, Botan had been entrusted to the job of watching the monitors that registered ki activity for Ningenkai. Specifically, the monitors sensitive to reiki, as there was still the unexplained issue of the extreme spike in reiki that had been picked up the day before. Actually, there had been two times, within the span of fifteen minutes, and in seemingly the same general area. They hadn't been able to pinpoint the location exactly, though, because of the interfering reiki registering from a Shinto Shrine in the same area. 

At first, the spike of energy had been dismissed as the workings of a keeper of the shrine. After all, it **_was_** a shrine in use and it was very possible there were duties requiring that amount of reiki to be expended. However, nothing had ever set off the monitors that high in that area before, and the priest that resided within had been thoroughly checked out, finding nothing extraordinary about him whatsoever. In fact, they could almost go as far as to say he actually had less reiki than the average ningen, which had caused the Reikai employees that had done the inspecting to scratch their heads in wonder at how he was a shrine keeper in the first place. They suspected, however, that he had inherited the shrine, as most shrines were passed down through families for ages, and the amount of reiki in his family line must have dwindled through the years out of disuse.

Nevertheless, at the second spike of reiki, Koenma had decided it may be a situation in need of further investigation. However, he had still been in the midst of the Great Judgment File Crisis at the time, and as it seemed there was nothing else amiss involving the reiki, he had had to put it aside for later. Later being today, after he'd had his 'audience' with his father, of course.

So, waiting for her employer to return to his office sporting a severely smarting bum, Botan twirled slowly in his chair as she tended to her temporary monitoring duties. She'd already been at it for a good four hours, and her usually chipper self was beginning to feel boredom creeping up on her. She was just considering actually laying her head on the desk for a short snooze, when a sudden blip on one of the large monitors on the wall caught her eye. She quickly fumbled around in the desk drawers for a piece of paper and a pen to make a note of it.

"Let's see… Ningenkai Reiki Monitor 1, 9:24 AM, a sudden rise in ki was detected in district…" Botan's dictation of her own writing trailed off as yet another blip registered on the same monitor, slightly higher than the last. Quickly continuing her note, she made sure to add the specific level for each detection. Both had lasted less than two minutes, but had been extremely high; close to Genkai's low levels when not using most of her reiki, which was still pretty high.

* * *

"That was so cool!" Souta exclaimed, his eyes wide, staring at his sister and his idol as the pink glow that engulfed them died away to nothing. He had barged into her room without knocking just as the last few words of the incantation to hide Tetsusaiga were said. Luckily, Souta was the only one that had barged in, so the secret was still safe from the other members of the household. 

"Souta!" she exclaimed, rushing over to shut the door behind him, "You should know better than to barge in without knocking, especially with Inuyasha here! What if someone had followed you in?"

Souta gulped and answered sheepishly, "Sorry, nee-chan, but man that was still really cool! How did you do that! The Tetsusaiga just **_disappeared_** and the room's all pink and glowy!"

Kagome explained the spells to her brother and why they were using them, earning more exclamations of how cool it was. She rolled her eyes at him and asked him what he'd come in for in the first place.

"Oh yeah, I was wondering when you and Inu-no-nii-chan would be ready to go down to the beach?" Souta looked hopefully at his sister and Inuyasha.

Most boys his age might've already snuck off to the beach, ignoring their mother's orders to stay with their sister and do as she said, but Souta was not most boys. No, Souta was the little brother to a time-skipping reincarnated miko with an inu-hanyou for a best friend, neither of which he got to see very often, though he wished he could. After all, their lives were so full of adventure, and they had seen and done so many awesome things, how could they not be cool to hang out with? Therefore, he had been looking forward to the opportunity to spend as much time as possible with the two of them, as well as his three friends, while on this vacation.

"In a little bit, Souta, we were just getting ready," Kagome explained, "Now, would you please leave the room? Go eat some breakfast!"

Souta obediently left the room, closing the door behind him. He met Aki, Haru and Satoru at the kitchen table and joined them in eating the simple breakfast of miso soup and rice Kagome had prepared earlier.

Kagome grumbled a bit to herself after her brother left, reminding herself to start locking her door before doing spells from now on. It was bad enough that she had to renew them everyday, since they weren't powerful enough to last through to the next day while she was sleeping. She wasn't sure she was ready to have an audience to her spells on a regular basis, and Souta would definitely be snooping around to see more considering his initial reaction.

Kagome left the room to shower and change while Inuyasha got dressed in the bedroom. After spending most of the previous morning trying on clothes, he was now able to dress himself in the modern clothing with no trouble at all. He chose a pair of swim trunks--red with a black dragon design--and a blood-red T-shirt. Red being his favorite color, he had picked out quite a few items in the color, though Higurashi-san had insisted he have somewhat of a variety of other colors, also. He tied a black bandana over his ears, secured the now-invisible-Tetsusaiga to his hip, and went to wait for Kagome on the living room sofa.

By the time Kagome was ready, Souta and his friends had joined Inuyasha in the living room and started another video game tournament. Currently, Satoru was getting his butt kicked onscreen by Inuyasha, amidst cheering from the remaining three boys. None of them noticed Kagome enter the room, though Inuyasha could've easily caught her fresh-from-the-shower-scent of sakura blossoms if he hadn't been concentrating so intently on executing the complicated button maneuvers for his game character's special attacks. Kagome watched the excited antics of the boys for a couple minutes in amusement before drawing their attention.

"Well, I didn't think you guys would want to wait another minute to get down to that ocean, but I guess I was wrong." She teased them.

Two suspicious triangles perked up a bit beneath a black bandana, as four smaller heads than that wearing the bandana turned to the girl. Kagome nonchalantly gathered her things, tying a sheer, ocean-blue sarong over the bottom of her bikini before shouldering a large beach bag. As she turned to leave, the younger boys finally starting to follow her, she realized she was forgetting something. Retrieving the forgotten item from a corner near the front door, she turned to hand the beach umbrella to Inuyasha and realized he was not with the other boys around her.

"Inuyasha!" She called sternly, about to give him a piece of her mind for causing a delay. Her words died in her throat, though, as she saw his face from across the room.

Inuyasha had fully intended to follow the pack of boys trailing Kagome, but had stopped dead in his tracks when he was greeted with the view of her bikini-clad form. Sure, he had seen her naked before, but he had really tried not to look. Really! Not only because he knew he would get in trouble, but also from being a little embarrassed about seeing the unclothed beauty. Now, here she was, wearing something that barely covered those parts she had been so embarrassed about him seeing before! Was she really going out in public like that? Was he allowed to look at her, or was he to avert his eyes? He felt his face warm a little as he continued to stare at her, fully believing he shouldn't, but unable to look away.

Actually, Kagome wasn't all that scantily clad. It was a simple classic bikini, light-blue with a white tropical flower design, which completely covered the important stuff. There were sure to be many girls on the sand wearing much less than she was. In fact, some of the newer swimsuits were no better than body floss, it seemed to Kagome.

It had taken a bit of courage for Kagome to actually buy and wear the bikini, however, as she normally wore the same one-piece suit that she had to wear for swimming in school. Her friends from school had insisted on it, though, when they had found out earlier that school year that Kagome would be going to the beach for her summer break. After all, how would she ever meet a guy if she wore her plain old green one-piece on the beach? Butting in as usual, Eri, Yuka and Ayumi had dragged their friend to one of their favorite stores in the mall, pushing several cute bikinis into her arms before shutting her in a dressing room. Kagome had chosen the most tasteful one out of the bunch, earning a momentary look of disappointment from her friends before gaining their approval at the fact that she, at least, had a two-piece now.

Seeing Inuyasha staring at her with that dumb, shocked look on his face brought her self-consciousness to the surface and she felt herself blush. This only made the dog demon do his own impression of a tomato even more, still unable to tear his eyes from the modern-era miko.

"Kagome," Souta called, walking up behind her, "when are we gonna-hey, what're you two doing just standing around staring like that?"

The spell was broken and the two teens quickly looked to the floor, both still blushing, though Inuyasha perhaps a little more than Kagome, as his thoughts had had nothing to do with the self-consciousness that had caused Kagome's blush.

Souta looked from one teen to the other, realization dawning on him finally, and exclaimed knowingly, "Oh, I get it! You've never seen a bikini before, have you, Inuyasha? Just wait 'til we get down on the sand! You'll never believe what some girls can get away with!"

Kagome noticed a dreamy look cloud Souta's eyes and shook her head at the realization that this vacation was probably going to turn into a pubescent, girl-ogling-fest when it came to her little brother and his friends. Gaining her lost composure back with the realization that she actually was still tastefully-clothed compared to what Inuyasha would soon see, she took charge of the situation once again. Crossing to Inuyasha, she handed him the aforementioned beach umbrella, ordering him to carry it for her since she had to carry the beach bag. He took it from her hands, grabbing the beach bag off her shoulder as well before she could protest. It was the least he could do to try to ease the guilt of the lingering images his mind was treating him to.

Finally, all things gathered, the group of six vacationers slipped on their respective sandals, Inuyasha choosing to stay barefoot, and made their way down the trail through the woods to the beach. The warmth of the sun bathed their bodies as they stepped out from the shade of the trees, and even Inuyasha couldn't help a contented smile from spreading across his lips, his fangs peeking through momentarily. They quickly set up their beach site, a full day of fun in the sun ahead of them. Kagome had even packed the pails and shovels to show Inuyasha how to make sandcastles. She hadn't done that in ages!

Meanwhile, back at the cabin, Juri was bypassing the usual morning tea with a much needed stronger dose of caffeine. After staying up half the night studying, even the bitterest of coffees would be welcomed by her as long as it kept her eyes open and her brain operative for another full day of studying.

* * *

"Master," a figure, bowed low before our villain, spoke softly, "will we not attack them now? They have been back for nearly two days, yet we have not even gotten close to them. All we've done is attract the attention of those Spirit Detectives. Wouldn't it be easier to get it if we just--" 

"Quiet, boy. I have my reasons for taking my time with my true purpose. Yes, they have been here for almost two days, but it hasn't been long enough for them to completely let their guard down. See how Inuyasha keeps scoping the area for danger everytime Kagome moves more than a foot from him? And though they have been under our virtually constant surveillance, we've yet to actually set eyes on our prize. They must have it, but where?" The last question was more to itself than the bowed figure, as the villain became contemplative.

"But Master," the boy continued, "that still doesn't explain the involvement of the Reikai Tantei. Won't they complicate things for us? If they're on our case then—'' Once again, the boy was cut off.

"Their involvement is well justified, I assure you. After all these years, I shall finally have my revenge on all my enemies, including all of Reikai. The Tantei are merely a means to an end, though I will thoroughly enjoy breaking them with my little game."

A hollow chuckle echoed around the large, cavern-like room as the villain and the boy continued watching their prey. Anticipation began to set in as they went over more of their plans for the very near future.

* * *

"Ungh!" Yuusuke grunted as he collapsed on the sidewalk in front of his apartment building. "I can't believe it! Nothing. Not even a tiny E-class youkai. And you and Kurama say there's no residual youki or Makai energy from the holes in the barrier yesterday and the night before." 

Kuwabara sat down, exhausted, beside his friend, "Yeah, all that walkin' around for nothin'. And I'm still not sensing anything out of the ordinary, either. It's weird…"

'_It's as if the energies were completely sucked back into Makai, as if someone were cleaning up the evidence.'_ Kurama thought from his position leaning against the building. He voiced the opinion to his fellow detectives.

_(That, of course, would suggest there was someone pulling the strings behind all this.) _

'_Indeed, it would,'_ Kurama answered his other self.

"If that's what really happened, wouldn't that mean someone else came along to do it? Like there's someone else planning these escapes rather than it being random?" Yuusuke pondered aloud.

_(What do you know, it seems our appointed leader **is** capable of using his brain.) _Youko drawled condescendingly.

'_Youko, you've always known Yuusuke is smarter than he seems. He just doesn't focus on learning from books as much as learning from life experience.'_

"That is, indeed, what it would suggest, Yuusuke," Kurama answered his friend out loud.

The discussion went no further, however, as Botan suddenly popped through a portal in front of them on her oar. "Hi, guys! Ready to go?"

In no time at all the three detectives were standing in front of a seated Koenma in Reikai. Koenma seemed a bit taller in his seat than usual, causing a curious Kuwabara to peer around the side of his desk to see if he had actually grown some, or if he had just gotten a taller chair. He laughed heartily as he saw the pile of cushions beneath the Junior Ruler of Reikai, earning a glare and a grumble from Koenma as he shifted uncomfortably atop his cushions.

"It's about **_time_** you got us in here, toddler, so let's just skip the small talk and get right to the good stuff. What's up with the barriers **_now_**?"

Koenma looked puzzled at the question, "What in the seven hells are you talking about, Yuusuke?"

"What in the seven hells, indeed. That is exactly the question we pose to you, Koenma." Kurama responded easily.

"Wait, if you didn't call us here for that, does that mean you actually don't know about the breakthroughs in the barrier? And, if so, what the hell **_did_** you call us here for!" Yuusuke spewed at the diminutive ruler, becoming frustrated.

"Perhaps there should be an exchange of information, similar to the one I took part in last night," Hiei spoke, suddenly appearing in the corner of Koenma's office.

"Oi," Kuwabara blurted out, "where did you come from?"

"Hn," was the only reply.

"Okay, then, perhaps we should put all the cards on the table. I believe you should go first, since I already know what I'm going to tell you, and should know exactly what else we're dealing with before I get down to your new assignment," Koenma spoke matter-of-factly around his pacifier.

A while later, both sides had told their stories, including, courtesy of George, the part about the filing mishap and Koenma's recent punishment. Kuwabara had once again burst out laughing, along with Yuusuke, as he realized the reason for Koenma's stack of cushions. The two youkai also snickered a bit at their boss' misfortune, though not as noticeably as their human companions.

Koenma merely grumbled about loudmouthed oni, giving a deathglare to the subject of his grumbles. No further punishment was given, though, as there were more pressing matters at the moment.

Once they had calmed down and Koenma was able to get their attention again, he brought up the replay monitors to show them exactly what had been detected and where. He suspected there may be a connection between the periods of heightened reiki and the instances of escaped youkai, since it seemed Hiei had been near the most recent reiki-monitored location when he had dispensed of the C-class youkai.

Koenma began replaying the monitors at a high speed, slowing them down to point out to his detectives the specific instances of peaking reiki.

_(Wait a minute. Did you notice that?)_ Youko spoke up suddenly.

'_I think so… on the replay of the Ningenkai Youki Monitor?'_

_(Yes. Every time there's a spike in reiki, there's a severe drop in youki in that same general area. In fact, it disappears completely.)_

'_There shouldn't even **be** any youki in those areas as far as we know, right? How is Koenma not catching that?'_

'**_That's a question I'd like an answer to as well.'_** Hiei interjected into the kitsune's internal conversation.

'_What could the connection be between the two? Is it like Koenma thinks, and this person is somehow using their reiki to bring youkai into Ningenkai? Or could it possibly be someone like Yuusuke, and they're actually getting rid of the youkai that seem to be following them?'_ Kurama spoke to both of the voices now sharing space in his head along with his own.

_(You really have come across an extraordinary puzzle for us this time, Kurama.) _Youko spoke approvingly.

Hiei smirked at the remark. Kitsune pride could surely only be rivaled by kitsune vanity, as he was certain he had just heard Youko pay himself a rather large compliment by way of Kurama.

'**_Perhaps you should take time from praising yourself to tell Koenma what you have discovered, as he seems to still be in the dark about it. He also seems to want our attention for some reason.'_** Hiei spoke into his friend's mind with a roll of his eyes for only Kurama to see.

Indeed, Koenma did seem to be staring at them intently, and Kurama wondered just how long the silent conversation had lasted after the replay on the monitor had finished.

"Something wrong, Kurama?" The demigod questioned.

Kurama opened his mouth to tell Koenma what he had noticed, when a sudden blip on a different monitor registered, catching the whole room's attention with the steady beeping that showed movement.

Kuwabara looked towards the sound, which was coming from a large monitor with a green grid-map being quickly traveled by a tiny red dot. "What's that?" He asked, squinting and pointing at the screen.

"Ningenkai Youkai Monitor 1," Kurama read the monitor label to the boy.

Kuwabara sweatdropped as his face turned slightly red from embarrassment.

"It would appear there is another youkai loose in Ningenkai. Not only that, but it's in the same district that the reiki was detected in this morning," Koenma answered more specifically.

"Wait," Yuusuke demanded, "you mean this huge screen right here, with this annoying 'bleep' sound, is what detects new youkai youki signatures in Ningenkai? How the hell did you not notice the other five?"

"Yuusuke, as it was explained earlier, things were a little busy around here the past few days. My office was filled with paperwork and-we can discuss that later. Right now you four need to go after that youkai. Botan, open a portal for them in that district," Koenma pointed urgently at the screen to indicate which district he was talking about. There were so many, he didn't even try to remember all the names and numbers anymore. Having a second thought, Koenma called after his detectives just before they stepped through Botan's portal, "Oh, and guys, if at all possible, try to bring it back alive. I'm sure we all have some questions we'd love answers to right now."

Nodding their understanding at the last order, the Reikai Tantei stepped through the portal between Reikai and Ningenkai.

End Chapter 4

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_**Words First Appearing in Chapter Four:**_

**_Jaganshi:_**those with a third eye (I've also seen this translated "one wielding the evil eye" or "master of the evil eye"; basically it's talking about Hiei having the Jagan eye implant, no matter what the literal translation is)

**_Enma Daioh:_** Great King Enma (will be known simply as "King Enma" when I write it in English, as that's what the dub says)

**_ki:_** energy

**_oi:_** hey

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**_A/N: _**Just a note about the Japanese school year, as it may be confusing later on if I don't explain it. In Japan, the school year starts in early April and lasts into the next year around the end of March. There are 240 school days in the year, compared to between 180 and 195 in the average U.S. school. They have a spring break between the old and new school year that lasts about 10 days from approx. March 25 to April 5. During the actual school year, there is a summer break of 40-some days from about July 20 to Aug. 31. This approximately coincides with the end of the "rainy season", though I'm not completely sure if that is the reasoning behind the timing. There is also a winter break of about 10 days from around Dec. 26 to Jan. 6. So anyway, with this information in mind, Kagome is on her summer break in the midst of her first year of high school (Grade 10 in Japan). If you're interested in more about school in Japan, google it!

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Please read and review! 


	6. Attacked

Unexpected Ally

disclaimer: YYH belongs to Yoshihiro Tagashi; IY belongs to Rumiko Takahashi; Unfortunately, I am neither one of them!

Chapter 5: Attacked

"Kaze no-"

"Inuyasha, no! There's too many buildings around that will be destroyed if you use the Kaze no Kizu!" Kagome couldn't believe this was happening. She and Inuyasha had only been out getting some takeout for dinner, while Juri kept the boys at the cabin, when they'd been attacked out of nowhere while on a relatively deserted street. Inuyasha had at least had the common sense to grab her up and lead the attacker into a nearby alley before anyone really noticed the 7 foot, deformed-looking, trenchcoat-and-hat-wearing salamander youkai.

Inuyasha paused, Tetsusaiga poised in midair, to take in the logic of what Kagome had said. She was right, there were way too many buildings around them, and they were most likely all filled with people. He brought the sword down impotently and resheathed it just as the slimy youkai he'd been aiming for advanced on him. A thick, wet slap was heard as Inuyasha was struck with its mucus-oozing tail. He flew back hard, about 50 feet, into the dead-end of the alley, leaving an impression in the bricks.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed as he slid to the ground. The trail of mucus left behind on his chest had dissolved his shirt and was now a toxic green color, bubbling on his skin. The smell of his burning flesh was putrid, and Kagome tried her best not to gag as she ran to check on him. "Inuyasha—"

"K-Kagome," Inuyasha struggled through the pain to get back up. The poison was almost as strong as Sesshoumaru's, and the slime was still oozing down his exposed skin, burning all it touched. He couldn't let it keep him down, however; he **_wouldn't_**. The salamander had already launched another attack and was leaping towards Kagome's turned back. Inuyasha pushed her down and out of the way as he stood up just in time to take the full-force of the assault.

The youkai picked him up by his throat, burning the skin there with more of his mucus secretions, and tossed him back towards the entrance to the alley. Turning to Kagome, who had scuttled some distance away, he rasped out, "Where is it? I know you have it! Give me the Shikon no Tama!"

He crept closer to her, relishing the look of fear on her face as he threatened to use the slime on her as well if she didn't answer. Kagome still refused to answer, however, and the salamander lost his patience. He jumped towards her, prepared to strike her face with the oozing hand, but found himself instantly repelled back into the opposite wall by a shining pink light. In the same instant, Inuyasha leapt towards him, claws bared, shouting, "Sankontessou!" The youkai was shredded to bits, the last of his excess mucus sizzling as it plopped to the ground. Satisfied that the threat was gone, Inuyasha let himself collapse.

Inuyasha looked up at Kagome from his spot on the ground. She was still against the opposite wall, head turned to the side, eyes squeezed shut, and arms in front of herself protectively. Inuyasha gaped at her.

'_She doesn't even realize what she did!'_ He realized. Finding his voice, he called to her, "Kagome… Kagome it's over now, you're okay."

Kagome finally relaxed from her defensive stance and focused her attention on the injured Inuyasha. "Oh, Inuyasha! You're hurt so bad!" She looked at him worriedly.

"I'll be fine, Kagome," he insisted, though he accepted her support as she helped him up and let him lean against her.

"Oh, Inuyasha, I know you will, but it looks so awful. You must be in terrible pain. We have to get you back to the cabin and patch you up."

Suddenly, Inuyasha sniffed the air. Kagome stiffened under him, realizing whatever he was catching the scent of couldn't be good. Her awareness came to her immediately as she felt a strong wave of youki. It felt like more than one, and they were powerful.

Inuyasha looked into Kagome's worried face. He knew he was in no shape to fight anymore right now, but he was determined to protect Kagome. He used the remains of his shirt to wipe off the rest of the slime still clinging to his body, making sure there was none left to burn the girl. Mustering up his last bit of strength, Inuyasha quickly grabbed Kagome and leapt back and forth up the walls of the two buildings forming the walls of the alley. Once on the roof of one, he leapt from rooftop to rooftop until they came to the end of the buildings on the boardwalk. He then jumped down and ran back towards the wooded area of the beach. Once he felt they were a safe distance into the woods, he stopped, putting Kagome down to slump against the trunk of a tree exhaustedly.

"Kagome, do you think you could change that spell you use on me and cover up the smell of this?" He asked, gesturing to his burned flesh.

"I—I don't know. I can try," she answered, kneeling down in front of him.

"Well, do it; before they're able to follow us this far by this god-awful smell alone."

Kagome hurried to think of a way to modify the wording, her stomach churning with a mixture of nervousness and fear. She felt as if her whole body were shaking with a sickening anticipation of their impending danger.

Finally deciding on the new words to her spell, she performed it quickly, determined to put as much energy into it as possible in order to protect Inuyasha.

Inuyasha watched as soft, glowing lights seemed to be pulled out of the surrounding forest, collecting around Kagome's body and turning a bright pink as it did so. Her eyes were closed while she concentrated on her energy, and he couldn't stop his gasp when she finally directed her gaze on him. Even her eyes were glowing with the pink energy, though behind it her sapphire irises were also sparkling brightly, causing her eyes to appear an amazing shade of purple Inuyasha didn't think he'd ever seen before. Her eyes burned with the intensity of her purpose and her aura flared out at him as she grabbed onto his bare shoulders and chanted the words that would protect him.

As the chant was finished, the glow surrounding Kagome began to die away. Feeling a strange tingling sensation engulf his body, Inuyasha looked down at himself to see the light of the energy had not faded, but had been passed to him. It ran over his body searchingly and began to seep into his wounds. Quickly, all the burns were filled with the bright pink ki and were healing before the hanyou's eyes. It seemed as if it had taken an eternity, moving in slow motion, but as if time itself had also slowed down to allow for it.

Kagome stared blankly at him, as if she wasn't truly there behind her eyes. Inuyasha felt guilt creep into his mind, worried he had been selfish to ask such a large favor of her. Had it hurt her to put that much energy into healing him? He hadn't even **_asked_** for **_that_**, but she'd done it nonetheless. The only reminder of his former wounds was the lighter-colored layer of scar tissue that had formed over the burns. Even **_that_** would be nothing more than a memory by tomorrow. Kagome, however, had yet to snap out of her stupor. Inuyasha scooped her back into his arms, his strength having mostly returned during his healing, and quickly sped off through the woods towards their cabin.

As they closed in on the camping area, Kagome finally seemed to come out of her daze, blinking and shaking her head as if trying to clear away her mental haze. Realizing she was in Inuyasha's arms again, and that they were once again on the move, she looked up at him confused.

"What happened, Inuyasha? The last thing I remember was getting ready to say the spell to hide the burning smell. Did it work? Are we running from the youkai I felt back in that alley? What's going on!"

Inuyasha kept on running as he thought how to answer her. He didn't quite know what had happened himself. "Kagome," he began, "why did you put so much energy into healing me? I would've healed on my own with a little time, and all I asked you to do was hide my scent so I could keep you safe by keeping those youkai off our trail. You must've exhausted yourself with that spell."

"Heal… you… Inuyasha, what are you talking about?" she breathed out tiredly. Her eyes trailed his neck and chest, searching for the wounds she knew should've been there, yet finding nothing but pale scar tissue. She traced the pattern on his chest delicately, unsure about touching it, and found that it really was healed. _'But how…?'_ Surely **_she_** hadn't done it. She didn't have that kind of power… **_did_** she?

Inuyasha saw the look of disbelief on her face and knew what she must be thinking, but he had no explanations to offer her. He stayed quiet until they finally came up to the cabin and he stopped outside their bedroom window. He set her down gently against the side of the house, making sure she was able to hold herself steady. She looked exhausted.

Inuyasha took a breath and sighed, "I don't know exactly what happened, Kagome. All I can tell you is that I saw an amazing amount of energy gather around you, and then it healed me. You seemed like you weren't really here anymore and you worried me. I thought maybe you'd given me too much of your own energy."

Kagome stared at him, her mouth slightly agape in shock. Inuyasha was admitting he was worried about her? She must have really scared him. How could she have done what he said, though? How had she been able to heal him like that? Her mind just couldn't accept it.

"I know it's hard to believe, Kagome, but it really did happen. You touched my healed wounds yourself. You can't really deny that, can you?" His intuition into her mind surprised Kagome yet again. "Look, I'm sure we can figure this out later, but right now I think we'd better get you inside to rest." With that, he picked her up yet again and carried her inside to lay her in her bed.

It wasn't until he was greeted by five hungry faces in the living room that he remembered the reason they had gone into town to begin with. Luckily, he had heard Kagome say something at a few of the restaurants they had passed by that would be of great use to him now.

"Uh," he began, trying to avoid Juri's angry glare as he gave his excuse, "the lines were really long. How about ramen?" He grinned at his suggestion, flashing his fangs a little. He hoped Juri wouldn't mind making it, since he had yet to master the use of either the stove or the microwave.

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"That idiot," the evil master growled out, watching as the salamander youkai was partially purified and then shredded to bits, "he put my plan in jeopardy with his petty greed. Still, now we've seen a glimpse of the girl's powers. She doesn't seem to realize she has them, though…" The voice became contemplative as its owner said its thoughts aloud. Turning to the boy that was ever ready to obey, the voice commanded, "Let's clean this up."

Bowing deeply, the boy's only reply was, "Yes, Master."

Skillfully opening a small hole in the barrier, no bigger than a child's fist, the boy held it open for his master as the villain came up to the opening. Quickly, air rushed towards the master, pulling in the leftover energies and scents from the fight in the alley, including the scent-trail Inuyasha left behind, filling and feeding the emptiness that was the very essence of its being.

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"That's odd," Kurama remarked, stopping in his stride to sniff the air again.

"What's odd?" Yuusuke questioned, stopping beside the redheaded fox-boy along with Kuwabara and Hiei. He looked around, searching the area for anything suspicious.

_(It just… disappeared?) _Youko merged into Kurama a bit more, attempting to have better use of the body he inhabited in order to confirm this for himself. Kurama allowed Youko's curiosity to be satisfied as the silver kitsune sniffed the air with the redhead's nose, and used Kurama's forehead to frown. It was true; the scent had completely disappeared without a trace. Even the feeling of youki had seemingly been erased. _(That's not possible. It was there just a moment ago, it **must** still be here. We must find it, Kurama. Someone evidently thinks they can outfox us. **Us!** We cannot allow whoever is behind this to mock us this way!)_

Kurama rolled his eyes from his current position within the confines of their combined soul. _'I highly doubt whoever is behind this is doing it strictly for our vexation, Youko.'_ That said, he reclaimed control of his physical body in order to address his friends.

"The scent has disappeared, Yuusuke, along with the youki I was feeling as well."

"What, just like that? Did it go back through the barrier?"

Hiei scoffed at the black-haired human. "Baka, going back through the barrier wouldn't erase it completely. It must mean someone's cleaning up after themselves again."

Kurama nodded, "Yes, Hiei, I agree."

"Great, so what now?" The boy detective asked, "Do we go back to Koenma and tell him we lost it because it was working for some kind of demon vacuum cleaner?"

"No," Kuwabara drew the attention of the three boys. "I don't think we lost it this time. Right before the energy disappeared, it felt like the power of the one we were after dropped and changed suddenly. It felt like it died."

His friends stared at him in shock. It was too easy to forget sometimes that Kuwabara really was more than just a big mouth.

_(You know… he's right; not only that, though… there was a flash of something else in that same moment… something pure.)_

_'I know. Why didn't we realize it before?'_

_(We did, we were just concentrating on the immediate disappearance of it more than anything else. Obviously, if the youkai is dead, he wasn't the one to clean up after himself. Therefore, someone must be toying with us; letting us catch a glimpse of something that is surely much greater than it appears. That human girl was right; this is definitely not just a fluke. That other power we felt must've been that reiki that keeps showing up on Koenma's monitors, too.)_

"Okay, Kuwabara, so it died. That still doesn't help us find it." Yuusuke complained.

"Oh, I know where it is, Urameshi," Kuwabara answered confidently. Then, in a show of his usual fighting ego, the orange-haired boy puffed out his chest, grinned and proclaimed, "Just follow me, guys, I'll show you the way!"

Kuwabara ran ahead of them, Hiei soon catching up as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop, following the boy. Kurama and Yuusuke weren't far behind. They passed the most popular areas of the boardwalk shops, and were soon in an area that was most likely ignored by most of the vacationers to the resort town. The back-alley feel of the few buildings surrounding them now could only be appreciated by those that had grown up frequenting the shops and restaurants. Finally, they came to a stop at the entrance of an alley; at the end of which lay the charred, shredded remains of a salamander youkai. The only proof of what it had once been was the mostly-intact head and the puddles of leftover mucus secretions.

"Che," Hiei made a sound of disgust, "pathetic."

Yuusuke examined the remains, careful not to touch the slimy pieces. "So much for bringing it back alive. Someone really did a number on this guy. He must've really pissed 'em off," Yuusuke said with a small laugh.

"Indeed, but who?" Kurama wondered aloud. He then noticed an odd look on Kuwabara's face, as if he were concentrating hard on something.

_(Even **he** felt that this time.)_ Youko remarked knowingly.

"Uh… guys? Did you feel that just now? It felt like there was a huge blast of reiki close by."

Before he could say any more, Botan reappeared before them. "Yuusuke; guys; the Reiki Monitor just picked up another peak of energy in Ningenkai, and this one was even higher than all the others. It seems to be somewhere near the beach resort. Koenma-sama wants you to hurry up with that youkai you're after so you can start your new case."

"What new case would that be, Botan?" Yuusuke questioned.

"You're to stay at the beach resort until you discover the source of the reiki. Once you find the source, Koenma-sama wants told right away so he can give you further instructions. He wouldn't tell me anything more, but I have a feeling there may be more to this assignment than meets the eye. I'll be checking in with you guys often, as usual, so expect to see a lot of me!" She smiled cheerfully at her last statement. Looking at her surroundings, finally, she realized what they had been inspecting in the dark alley. "Is that what you were after?" She asked, pointing at the bits of youkai.

"It would seem so." Kurama answered.

"I thought Koenma told you to bring it back alive," she replied.

"It was already dead when we got here!" Yuusuke insisted.

Botan raised her brow skeptically, looking back to Kurama.

"It's true, Botan. We had just discovered the remains when you found us."

"Wow! Who besides you guys could have done this?"

"That is the question, isn't it, onna?" Hiei replied, mockingly.

End Chapter 5

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Words First Appearing in Chapter Five:

**_Kaze no Kizu:_** Wound of the Wind (dub: Wind Scar)

**_Sankontessou:_** Soul Scattering Iron Claw (dub: Iron Reaver Soul Stealer)

**_onna:_** woman

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**_A/N: _**Wow, I actually got a lot of reviews on my last chapter, and, since I'm lazy, I'm putting all the replies for both ficsites into the same document.

**_MM . org review replies:_**

**_Okaasan-7:_** I was just going through old e-mails and realized I forgot to reply to your review a couple chapters back… so I will now! I'm glad you like the story so far, and that you think I eased the Detectives into the story well. As for the numerous Inu-sittings… yeah, there were a lot… lol… but thanks for not flaming me about it since there are IY eps where he seems to get sat for no reason. Plus, I was kinda getting a few in there cuz I knew he wouldn't get sat for awhile after that. As for the congrats on not having Kagome give IY a mall-makeover, thankies! That is a bit cliché, ne? Wanted to steer clear of that!

**_Hoseki:_** LAMO! on the fangirl-attempt… I see you've toned it down from what you left for Johnny-boy… thankies for that ! Heheh… anyway, I certainly try my best as a fic-ka… and if I wasn't so DISTRACTED by you and John I MIGHT get more work done… (ducks whip) (continues typing furiously) And, yes, I have noticed your cute little habit of always leaving threatening reviews… and I'd expect no less here! I'd be worried if you didn't, lol… (glomps) (nibbles back)

**_HIEI LOVERS:_** Glad to know you'll keep reading, no matter what the pairing (which, BTW, I've finally made a decision on… but everyone will still have to wait to find out). Even happier to know that I have at least one regular reader/reviewer on here! Reviews are like chocolate to a fic-ka! Mmmmm…chocolate….

**_Johnny Walker:_** Yayzies! Creative and interesting plot? Awesomeness! So happy to know you think it's easy to follow, Maru-kun… since I usually confuse the hell outta you… lol… And, hey, like you said before, Johnny-boy, that last chapter actually had English in it! I COULD still fix that though… lol…. And you know Hoseki would still make you read it on ICAF once we get to it in Storytime… heheheh… ah, but don't worry, I'm not THAT evil… (smirks)

**_Natsumi Tsuchi-Ookami:_** Happy you like it. The spacers... yeah, I like them a lot in fics… plus they're also there for my own benefit when typing, to keep scenes straight. I'm so glad MM actually lets me put them up, because FF doesn't let any symbols like that stay, so I have to put '&' signs and page separators in, which kinda sucks… ah, but oh well…

**_FF . net review replies:_**

**_montrith:_** Glad you think it's a good crossover… I know good ones are usually hard to find. As for the amount of reviews… I don't know, but I wish more people WOULD leave 'em… (points to chocolate comment in reply to HIEI LOVERS) (craves more fic-ka chocolate!) So from that, I'm sure you realize how ecstatic I am to know you're "eagerly waiting updates."

**_Kagome-reincarnation:_** You love it? Awesomeness! I'll do my best to not disappoint!

**_To All My Reviewers:_** (snuggles you)


	7. No Vacation Part 1

Unexpected Ally

Disclaimer: YYH belongs to Yoshihiro Tagashi; IY belongs to Rumiko Takahashi; Unfortunately, I am neither one of them!

Chapter 6: No Vacation Part 1

Yuusuke entered the hotel suite he was sharing with his friends, and closed the door with a sigh of exhaustion.

"Well, the girls are finally settled into their room," he remarked to his roommates tiredly, flopping onto his back on the couch in the living room area of the suite. "Kuwabara should be back in a few minutes from getting bawled out by Shizuru for complaining about her amount of luggage again."

The hotel room was really more of a penthouse, with four separate bedrooms, a

living area, a full kitchen area, and two bathrooms; but it was actually only one of the hotel's premium suites. The penthouses were two floors above theirs in the skyscraper-like resort hotel, and were extremely more luxurious than the detectives' room.

Hiei rolled his eyes at the human boy, glanced at Kurama, and turned back to watching the rain that had just started to fall outside their wall of windows.

"Do you think it's wise for them to be here, Yuusuke?" Kurama asked.

"No," Yuusuke answered with a grumble, his eyes closed underneath the arm he had draped over his face to block out the lighting in the room, "but it's not like I have much choice. You know how Keiko is. That girl can be as stubborn as me! At least Shizuru decided to come along, though; I know she'll do her part to keep Keiko safe while I'm not around."

"Yes, that's true. Kuwabara Shizuru can be quite the force to be reckoned with."

Yuusuke groaned out another deep sigh, remembering how he had been forced to tell Keiko about his new mission and to, subsequently, bring her along.

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After a fruitless search of the area picked up by the Reiki Monitor, Yuusuke, Kuwabara and Kurama had gone back to Tokyo to pack for their stay at the beach. Hiei claimed he had all he needed, and had stayed at the hotel. They weren't sure how long they would have to be there, so they were going to prepare for the duration of their summer holiday; approximately two more weeks.

Just as Yuusuke was reaching for his doorknob to leave, his packed bag thrown over his shoulder, there was a banging knock on the door, accompanied with cries of, "Yuusuke, you better answer this door right now and give me a good reason for missing our date last night!" One guess who it was.

Yuusuke tried to dodge Keiko's questions about where he was going, and may have been successful in leaving her in the dark, and in Tokyo, if Botan hadn't chosen just that time to pop in and ask if he was ready to go. Of course, this had made it obvious that Yuusuke had a mission from Koenma, and Keiko insisted on coming along to keep an eye on Puu. Kami knows the spirit beast served a great purpose, but was often left behind in the midst of things if Keiko was not there to give him the attention he deserved. In fact, Keiko normally kept Puu at her house for just that reason, but if Yuusuke was going on a dangerous mission it would be better for the blue, bird-like creature to be closer to Yuusuke, in order to alert those around him to danger involving the detective.

All manner of protesting was lost on Keiko, and Yuusuke soon decided to bite his tongue when he noticed a dangerous look coming into his girlfriend's eyes. Finally, he'd conceded to her demands, letting her stop off at her home to pack before meeting up with his friends at Kuwabara's. When Shizuru found out Keiko's plan of tagging along, she decided she might as well come along to help keep her out of danger. She did, after all, have a sense about those things.

Learning of the two girls' added company, Kuwabara had begun lamenting about Yukina not being there. The line was drawn at the inclusion of the ice maiden, however, since Yuusuke and Kurama knew Hiei would not want his sister around the potential danger they would be in. Giving an excuse to Kuwabara about Yukina having shrine duties at Genkai's temple, the two boys convinced their friend it was for the best.

Botan decided to stay with the two girls at the hotel, in order to be on-hand for emergency contact to Reikai should the need arise for the detective team. All three girls, along with Puu, were able to get a room right down the hall from their male companions, and were now settling into their new accommodations.

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"How long are we expected to stay cooped up in here?" Hiei questioned, his scowl not leaving the view of the pouring rain. How he wished he could leap from the window and attend to his own matters, rather than being stuck inside on assignment with the other Spirit Detectives.

Pulling out of his reverie, Yuusuke answered, "However long it takes to complete the mission, I guess. Hopefully that won't be too long, 'cause Keiko will skin me alive if we miss the first day back to school. Even so, I hope nothin' happens 'til this rain clears, 'cause, man, I don't wanna be out in that."

"Hn," Hiei scoffed at that. He would much rather be soaking in the rain than stuck in this building full of ningen, but orders were orders. No matter how much he despised being at the mercy of Reikai, it was better than what would be in store for him if he went on the run again. He resigned himself to the fact that he'd have to put up with it for now, and retired to his room for some solitude.

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The rain just kept coming down. Through the night and into the next day, the showers not only continued, but grew even more stormy, preventing practically all outside activities. It even hindered the scouting of the Reikai Tantei; not that there had been much to do, as things had been pretty quiet on the radar.

The day had begun with the usual spike in reiki and immediate drop in youki (Kurama had asked Botan to inform Koenma to watch for that), but no youkai breakthroughs or any other disturbances were picked up. Hiei had actually volunteered to check the area out when the reiki first spiked, but his search came up empty and he was forced to return to the confines of the hotel room.

The rest of the day was filled with random activities to pass the time. Kuwabara and Yuusuke had spent a few hours in the hotel gym, lifting weights and sparring. Hiei had found an empty kendo practice room and brought out his katana. Kurama stayed in the room reading. Botan and the girls, having not spent much time together in a long time, spent the morning hours playing with Puu, gossiping and catching up.

Around lunchtime, all three girls dragged the boys away from their various activities to have lunch in the hotel restaurant. Hiei tried to duck out before they were seated, but Shizuru and Botan caught the hybrid by each arm before he could dash off and insisted he join them for the meal. He had tried to wrench free from their grip, and had been surprised by the combined strength of the girls. He could've still broke free, but it may have caused serious damage to the mortal girl, Shizuru, which Reikai would certainly not take lightly; therefore, Hiei had given in and joined his team for their meal.

Afterwards, they all gathered in the boys' room to hang out until dinner, which was ordered through room service and eaten around the coffee table. As the night came to a close, Yuusuke tried to convince Keiko to stay with him in his room, earning him a smack and a shout of "Hentai!" before the girl stomped off to her own room with her female companions.

"Well, it was worth a shot," Yuusuke said with a slight grin, rubbing his cheek and causing his fellow roommates to sweatdrop. It also sparked a lecture from Kuwabara about Codes of Honor and having respect for a lady, which further sparked his rambling on and on about "his Yukina-san."

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Kagome closed her Math book, setting it on top of her stack of school books, and stretched in her seat at the kitchen table, yawning. She rubbed her eyes, tired from the strain of studying all day, and looked around for the locations of her housemates. Juri was studying in her room, as usual; Souta and his friends were playing video games, just as they had been for the last eleven hours; Inuyasha was yet to be found. Kagome had searched every room, and finally decided to check the porch for the inu-hanyou. She smiled as she finally found her silver-haired friend sitting cross-legged on the porch, staring out at the rain. The wind of the storm had died down a bit, and the thunder was further away than it had been, making the atmosphere of the storm quite soothing.

"Hey, Inuyasha," Kagome greeted him, abandoning her house slippers to pad barefoot across the damp wood of the porch.

He looked up at her as she approached him. "Hey, Kagome," he responded, watching her sit next to him, legs out in front of her as she leaned back onto her hands.

"Whatcha doin' out here, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha turned his gaze back out to the surrounding woods. With the dying down of the wind, the rain was merely a light patter through the canopy of the trees. "Just thinkin'," came the boy's reply. Things had been so busy around him lately that he hadn't had time to return to his introspection of just a few days ago. With the laziness of the day, however, and Kagome's lack of attention to him due to her studies, he had gone back to his thoughts of wonder and regret over things in the past that could not be changed.

Kagome felt a little uneasy at the sullen tone in his reply. She nudged him with her shoulder, "Hey, you sound so serious. Something wrong?" She had a feeling she knew which way his thoughts had turned, and knew it wouldn't be good to let him dwell on it on his own.

Inuyasha looked at the concerned expression on his friend's face and knew that she knew he was thinking about Kikyou. He knew it probably hurt her to know he was still dwelling on the memories of her past incarnation, but he couldn't help it. He still had grief to deal with. He didn't feel ready to bring everything up again, though, and opted for denial. "No, Kagome, I'm fine." He smiled at her, hoping she would drop it.

Kagome took the hint, and left the subject alone for now. They sat there for awhile in silence, watching and listening to the rain, enjoying each other's company. The simple act of being near Kagome seemed to distract Inuyasha and change his thoughts from their depressing subject to one that left him slightly confused. He always felt so happy around Kagome, and he knew he felt more towards her than simple friendship; but he wasn't sure if it was because of her or the thought of whose reincarnation she was that truly brought out those feelings. He knew it wouldn't be fair to her if he used her as a replacement for Kikyou, but he couldn't help but be drawn to her. Until he could decipher his own feelings, he knew he shouldn't change anything about their relationship. With this thought, Inuyasha heaved a sigh of frustration and stood up to go inside before Kagome could ask him what's wrong again.

Kagome followed him with her head, a questioning look on her face, "Inuyasha?"

"Is it time for dinner yet? I'm hungry!"

Kagome smiled, standing to follow him inside. "Sure, Inuyasha, it is pretty late, isn't it? The boys are probably starving." She walked ahead of him into the kitchen and fished out some packages from the cupboard, holding them up when he walked in after her. "Ramen?" she asked with a knowing smile. Inuyasha went to get his fan club as Kagome prepared their dinner of ramen and rice.

That night, as Kagome slept, Inuyasha found himself watching her once again, his ponderings from earlier again taking space in his mind.

&

* * *

&

"I thought tsuyu was over. What's with the non-stop storm?" Yuusuke complained, glaring out at the still-pouring rain the next morning. Here they were, on assignment at a **_beach resort_**, and he'd been stuck inside a lousy hotel for two days straight.

"Technically it **_is_** over, Yuusuke, but you know that doesn't mean there won't still be the occasional shower." Kurama informed the boy.

Yuusuke merely grunted his dissatisfaction and slumped onto the couch just as Hiei jumped into the room through the window he'd just been glaring out of. "Anything?"

"Another pointless search," the drenched fire demon answered with a shake of his head, sending tiny droplets of water splattering from his still-spiky hair.

"Great, so another slow start to an even slower day," Yuusuke groaned, "Why won't this rain stop? An assignment on the beach and I don't even get to enjoy it! I'm so bored!"

Hiei glared at the boy, "We're not here for you to take a vacation, ningen. We're here to find the source of this unidentified reiki and bring it to Koenma for questioning."

Yuusuke scowled at Hiei, "I know that, Hiei! That doesn't mean we wouldn't be able to enjoy the beach, as well! Nothing new has happened, and Keiko's giving up her vacation to keep an eye on me. The least I could do is make the most of our downtime!" With that, the black-haired detective left the room in favor of his girlfriend's company.

_'You know you're just as bored here as he is, Hiei,' _Kurama spoke into his friend's mind.

**_'Hn,'_** Hiei thought back, **_'that doesn't mean I'll put up with his constant complaining. He thinks he can take advantage of the situation to take his little girlfriend on a beach vacation. He needs to keep his attention on our assignment so we can complete it and get back to our lives.'_**

_'He never intended for Keiko to come along, and you know that. I don't blame him for wanting to spend some time with her while we're here, though. It is an opportunity that I imagine is hard for him to pass up.'_

Hiei glared at Kurama for a moment before leaving for the kendo practice rooms. The kitsune was mostly right, but that didn't mean he had to admit it; Yuusuke was still annoying.

"Okay, Yuusuke, ready to get your butt whooped?" Kuwabara called out as he came out of his room, carrying a box full of video games. They'd challenged each other to a few games the night before, but Kuwabara had just gathered the games together when he woke up a few minutes ago. Kuwabara stopped as he stepped into the living room, looking around for his rival. "Oi, Kurama, where'd he go?"

"I imagine he's gone to be with Keiko," Kurama answered from behind his book.

"Oh," Kuwabara started to look gloomy, most likely thinking of Yukina once more, but perked up again as he had a new thought. "Oi, Kurama, you wanna challenge me? I bet I can whoop you, too!" he exclaimed, grinning toothily.

Kurama quirked his brow so that Kuwabara could see it from behind the book he was holding. _'A challenge?'_ He didn't normally play the fighting games that Yuusuke and Kuwabara were into, preferring games involving strategy and problem-solving, but a little change of pace might not be a bad thing; especially if it kept Kuwabara from starting another Yukina-rant. Kurama set his book down and agreed to his friend's request.

&

* * *

&

The sun finally came out that afternoon and quickly heated up to dry the resort town. Kurama and Kuwabara decided to abandon their tournament, Kurama having been on a rather long winning streak, to take a walk on the boardwalk. Apparently, many other vacationers had the same idea, as the streets were crowded with people. Kurama and Kuwabara slowly made their way through the crowds to find a restaurant and catch an early dinner. They settled on an outdoor café, and were seated at a table to wait for their waitress. Both boys took to watching the passing boardwalk population as they waited, having decided on their orders already.

Suddenly, Kurama caught a glimpse of someone through the crowd and tried to follow her through the passersby with his gaze. The streets were still quite crowded, and the most he could see were glimpses of long, raven hair and creamy skin in a pink sundress. Everytime the crowd moved so he could see her face, she would turn away towards her silver-haired companion. Kurama was surprised to realize that the thought of her male companion made him jealous. He'd never had such feelings of jealousy before; especially over some girl he'd never met, whose face he couldn't even see.

Something about her seemed to draw him to her, however, and even Youko was curious enough to encourage Kurama to abandon his meal and go after her. Questioning his own sanity, the crimson-locked kitsune-boy finally gave in to the overwhelming pull and stood to make his way through the crowd. During his brief moment of indecision, however, he had lost sight of the girl in the crowd. Youko was not to be deterred from his quest, though, as he simply had to know why this girl seemed so special above all the others that followed his human host around. With the added mental push, Kurama continued to make his way through the crowd.

&

* * *

&

"Oi, Kurama, where you goin'?" Kuwabara called after his friend. He got no answer, though, as Kurama was concentrating hard on something in the crowd. Shrugging his shoulders, Kuwabara dug into his meal, knowing that if Kurama wasn't back before he was finished, the fox's meal was up for grabs.

&

* * *

&

'_This is nice,'_ Kagome thought to herself as she strolled down the boardwalk with Inuyasha. She didn't know what had prompted him to suggest they take a walk together, but she wasn't about to protest. They'd been cooped up with a houseful of kids for almost two days straight, and it was nice to spend some time alone together, even if they were surrounded by people on the boardwalk.

They'd been walking for awhile, Kagome pulling Inuyasha into random shops and Inuyasha fully enjoying checking out the trinkets for sale, though he didn't let on about them. Every once in awhile, Kagome would look over at him, just to assure herself that he was really there and had really asked her to spend time with him. Each and every time she looked at him, he'd look right back with a small smile, and she could tell that he was actually enjoying her company.

"Ne, Inuyasha, want to get some dinner?"

"Sure," he answered, just as she knew he would. So off they went towards a nearby ramen shop. The shop sold other food as well, but their ramen was what they were known for.

&

* * *

&

Inuyasha had spent half the night last night considering his feelings towards Kagome. He hadn't been able to come to any definite conclusion, other than the fact that he'd better figure himself out before he hurt her. He'd decided that the best way to know for sure would be to spend more time alone with her and really get to know her better. He'd been taking her constant presence for granted, he realized, and hadn't even taken advantage of all that time to truly find out about her. That was how the idea of the walk had come about. It felt natural for him to spend hours walking beside Kagome, as that's what they spent most of their time in the Sengoku Jidai doing, so he thought that would be the best idea for both of them to be comfortable.

The walk through the woods and along the beach had turned into an all-out excursion into the resort town and along the boardwalk. They walked side-by-side, occasionally ducking into a shop for Kagome to show him some neat little thing from her time. He knew she was probably wondering where his sudden interest in spending time alone with her came from, and couldn't help but smile at the curious looks she kept giving him. When she suggested food to him, he was more than appreciative, since it'd been awhile since they'd eaten. They'd actually been walking mostly in silence together for a few hours, he realized, talking only a bit here and there when looking at things in the shops. It had been comfortable silence, however, and he didn't regret it.

As they neared the restaurant area of the boardwalk, Inuyasha began to smell something suspicious. He grabbed Kagome's hand in case they needed to make a run for it, causing her to look at him in concern of his abrupt action. He saw her eyes widen as realization hit her, and they both slowed their pace a bit in order to have a better sense of their surroundings. Kagome's eyes darted out amongst the crowd in search of something that shouldn't be there, but found nothing. Turning back to Inuyasha, she saw the same look in his eyes.

"I sense a youkai, but I don't see anything, do you?" Kagome whispered just loud enough for Inuyasha's ears to pick it up under his bandana.

"I don't see anything, but I definitely smell something. Maybe two different ones. It smells…kinda like a fox…and something else. There's too many smells here to figure it out."

"Yeah, and all these different people are throwing my concentration off. I can't tell where the sensation's coming from. The youki seems similar to what I felt in the alley the other day, but it's different somehow."

"Let's go somewhere less crowded and get our bearings better."

Kagome nodded and squeezed his hand in answer before Inuyasha pulled her quickly through the crowd, around the corner and towards a more secluded part of town. They did not slow down, however, as the presence looming in their awareness seemed to be following them. Inuyasha led Kagome through a series of twists and turns, finding his way to a deserted part of town near the residential area, and finally stopping in yet another alley.

"I don't smell the fox smell anymore, but there's still another one, Kagome."

Inuyasha sounded worried. Kagome knew he was probably thinking of the attack just the other day. "I feel it, too, Inuyasha. It's about as powerful as that salamander, I think. The one we lost was much stronger, though, so at least we only have to deal with this one."

"Yeah," the hanyou agreed, putting his hand to the hilt of Tetsusaiga, while keeping his other hand in a deathgrip on Kagome. "No sense in putting this off any longer. This bastard's goin' down…" _'Interrupting my time with Kagome; and we were about to eat, too. This guy's got it comin'.'_

"Inuyasha, try your claws first. Remember, there's houses around us."

Inuyasha growled at the necessary limitations that came with keeping his identity secret in Kagome's time, but obediently locked his sword back in and readied his claws. He let go of Kagome so he wouldn't claw her, but was determined to keep an eye on her. Finally, after what seemed like endless minutes, the youkai they were awaiting dropped in on them. He looked human; the only signs that gave him away were his pointy demon ears, his beady red eyes peering out from under shaggy green hair, and the forked tongue snaking out between his fangs as he brandished his claws.

"Stay back, Kagome," Inuyasha warned, pushing her behind a nearby dumpster. Turning back to the youkai, he growled out, "I don't know what you want, asshole, but you're not gonna get it if I have anything to say about it!" With that he jumped at the demon yelling, "Sankontessou!"

The demon leapt out of the way effortlessly, and immediately countered with his own claw attack. Inuyasha tried to dodge, but was caught on his right arm, receiving four deep muscle-tearing gashes into his triceps and part of his bicep and rendering the arm useless until it healed. Dark blood ran down his arm and soaked the white T-shirt he wore.

"Foolish hanyou, you will not stand in my way. I shall have the jewel!" The youkai ran towards him again, trying for another swipe, but Inuyasha effectively evaded him, leaping back at least 30 feet.

"Keh, you're the fool if you think **_this_** is enough to stop me!" The inu-hanyou attacked with a one-handed "Sankontessou!", but the green-haired youkai simply leapt back and started running towards a nearby ballfield. Inuyasha ran after him, digging his claws into the flesh of his own chest to coat them in blood as he yelled, "Hijinkessou!" and flung his Blades of Blood at the youkai. Finally, his attack made contact, severing one of the demon's arms and slicing deep wounds into his belly and chest. Mr. Green Hair was knocked to the ground from the force and pain of Inuyasha's attack, but was soon struggling back up to his feet, even as his blood pooled around him. A sly smile crept onto his face, and he leered at Inuyasha, before a large black hole began growing out of thin air beside him. He stepped into it, picking up his severed arm before he did so. Inuyasha tried to run after him, but the hole was closed within the blink of an eye.

'_What was the point of going to all that trouble just to run away?'_ Inuyasha thought to himself. Suddenly, realization dawned on him. He ran back to the alley he had left Kagome in to keep her safe, hoping against hope that his suspicions were false. Coming upon his destination, his heart sank and he felt sick as, no matter how hard he looked, he was greeted with a completely empty alleyway.

End Chapter 6

* * *

Words First Appearing in Chapter Six:

**_ne:_** informal interjection with many uses; can be translated as "right" or "isn't it?" or "hey", among other things

**_Hijinkessou: _**Blades of Blood

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**_MM . org review replies:_**

**_HIEI LOVERS:_** As usual, I'm so happy to have you as a reader/reviewer. And, the "Reviews are like chocolate to a fic-ka" remark just meant that fanfic authors (fic-ka) love getting reviews, they're like a special treat (chocolate) and we eat them up!

**_Aniphx:_** Awww! (wipes tear from eye) Dude, you are too awesome to me, Inspector! I'm so lucky to have you at ICAF! It's so coolzies that you put specific things that you liked in your review. (snuggles Inspector Aniphx)

_**FF . net review replies:**_

**_moonlightassassin: _**Happy you like it. I do my best to update as quickly as possible.

**_Kagome-reincarnation: _**Yikes! I swear I'll update as fast as possible, please don't strangle me... or OR ELSE me, either! lol

**_montrith: (_**snuggles your review) OMGoddess! That's some serious fic-ka chocolate! I love long reviews! The way you described your disappointment in most crossover fics was awesomely put, and so I feel the need to quote it here: "You see so many "magical mirror/teacup/crystal/monkey/box of wheetos transports insert-character-name-here to Sengoku Jidai/Makai/Modern Tokyo where they meet Inugang/Spirit Detectives" fics that it makes you want to cry." That is so true, and I'm so glad to not be put in that group with this fic. I know I'm not the greatest writer in the world, but I started this fic cuz I felt there just aren't enough well-thought-out crossover fics with actual plots, and I thought I had one that may not have been seen before (hopefully…well, I've never seen it, at least…). As for the pairing, I do know who it will be in the end, but it may not be obvious until near the middle-to-end… and that's the most you'll get out of me for now.

**_John Walker:_** Ah, you can resist all you want, but you know you've slipped up and said the Japanese before. Even so, you know one thing we look forward to most in storytime is your made up words/names! They're better than the real ones usually. I mean, come on, what's storytime without us having "bustin' our guts, chokin' on cocoa puffs, sufferin' a coughing fit, unable to breath, breakin' our jaw from laughter" fits? Heheheh… Welcome back, by the way… hope you had fun on your top-secret excursion…

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As usual, please read and review! 


	8. No Vacation Part 2

Unexpected Ally

Disclaimer: YYH belongs to Yoshihiro Tagashi; IY belongs to Rumiko Takahashi; Unfortunately, I am neither one of them!

Chapter 7: No Vacation Pt. 2

Kagome watched as the green-haired youkai sliced into Inuyasha and led him away from the alley.

"Inuyasha!" She called after him, but he seemed not to hear her. Kagome grew worried. Something about this didn't seem right. She stepped out cautiously from her place behind the dumpster, looking around for anything that may be causing her ominous feeling. She didn't see anything, and continued towards the end of the alley. She couldn't see them anywhere, and the youki she felt from both of them was growing fainter, moving farther away.

She started to call out again, "Inuya—'' but a hand was clamped firmly over her mouth as a strong arm came from behind to grab her around her waist. Kagome froze in fear as the youki crashed full force into her awareness.

'_It was a diversion to get Inuyasha away from me!_' she realized. As she thought this, her anger and determination overcame her fear, letting her move again. She pried alternately at the hand over her mouth and the arm around her body, using her nails to scratch at him. The grip grew tighter, as if to prove he was still in control, and Kagome was lifted up and carried away in the opposite direction of Inuyasha.

"You're coming with me, human!" The youkai hissed gruffly next to her ear as he ran through the empty streets.

'_You can't have it and you can't have me!'_ Kagome repeated this over and over in her head; a mantra to keep her focused and not let the fear set back in.

She continued her assault on her captor, scratching and hitting his arms as hard as she could. Now that her feet were off the ground, she was kicking her legs, catching his knees and shins with her sandaled feet, causing him to laugh mockingly at her attempts. She twisted her body about as much as she could, trying to get him to lose his grip on her. His arms held fast, however, and Kagome was nearing panic once again. The Kag-napping youkai was still running, but in a searching manner. Kagome could hear him muttering, "C'mon, where is it, where is it?" and wondered if he was asking about the jewel, but soon recognized that he was actually talking to himself.

Kagome reached back to his face and tried clawing at it, searching for his eyes in order to cause as much pain as possible. She yelped in pain, behind the hand over her mouth, as her fingers were caught by sharp fangs. A shudder of disgust ran through her as the mouth closed around her wounded fingers to suck the blood that was drawn. She pulled them back out as quickly as she could, and started attacking his arms again, screaming muffled cries of protest.

"Don't worry, bitch, there's more of that in store for you once I get you back to the Master," he promised maliciously. "Now, if only—ah, finally!"

Kagome puzzled at his last comment, but all thought left her, panic taking complete control, when a black hole started forming a block ahead of them. The youkai picked up speed again and headed right for the dimensional tear.

* * *

Kurama sat back down in his chair just as Kuwabara was reaching for his plate. The orange-haired boy briefly mourned the loss of the extra meal, but soon let his curiosity take over.

"What was that all about, Kurama?"

"It was nothing," Kurama said with a sigh, "I just thought I saw something."

"What was it? A youkai?" Kuwabara exclaimed, leaping to his feet.

"No, no, nothing like that," Kurama waved his hand at his friend in protest, smiling good-naturedly, "It was nothing, don't worry about it!" Kurama began eating his food.

_(Nonsense,) Youko insisted, (There most certainly **was** something, and you had better explain to me right now why we are not going after her!)_

'_We lost her. What would you have me do, Youko, search the whole town for a girl whose face we've never seen?'_

Kurama sweatdropped as he felt Youko giving him a glare that clearly said, "Of course, why not?" inside their head. Kuwabara raised his eyebrows in concern over his friend's antics. Kurama was too busy with his internal argument to give the boy an explanation, though.

'_Youko, you can't even give me a good reason why we were chasing after her in the first place. We don't have time to chase after a faceless girl, or have you forgotten our assignment?'_

_(Of course I have not forgotten, kit, but that does not mean that is all I have to think about. I want her; and what I want, I get. I am not Makai's most-infamous thief for nothing, you know. Besides, you were drawn to her, too, or have you forgotten it was your decision to go after her?)_

'_With no lack of encouragement on your part.'_

_(Nevertheless, it **was** your decision; or will you try to claim that I exerted control over your body without your knowledge?)_

'_No, I'll admit it was my will moving our body. I was drawn to her, but why? She'd probably just be another nuisance, like the girls at school, so why do I feel the need to make myself known to her?'_

_(No, there is something different about this girl. I cannot say what, but my instincts tell me she would be different from the mindless, rabid onna in your fan club. Who knows, she might even be enough to keep my interest for more than one night.)_

'_Is that what this is all about?'_ Kurama exclaimed incredulously to the fox.

_(Please, Kurama, do not act surprised. I have been cooped up in your virgin body now for sixteen years. Now there is a chance we may find a partner we are both interested in and you don't expect me to want to take advantage of the opportunity? Sometimes I swear you neglect our body just to torture me.)_ Kurama blushed a bit at the comment, earning another curious look from Kuwabara.

The discussion over the mystery girl most likely would have continued into more heated territory, had Botan not popped up around a corner and ran up to their table.

"Oh, good, I finally found you two, at least!"

"What's up, Botan?" Kuwabara questioned.

"Another breakthrough! It's very close by, and I can't find Yuusuke or Hiei. You guys will have to go after it on your own while I keep looking for your teammates."

* * *

Inuyasha stood by the abandoned dumpster once again and slammed the fist of his good arm into the side of it, leaving a large dent. He growled in frustration and anger.

'_**How** could I have been so **stupid**?'_ He yelled at himself inside his mind. _'I should never have left her alone. I should've known it was a trap!' _Inuyasha felt the prickle of tears behind his eyes, but refused to let them surface. Now was not the time to breakdown. He had to think; he had to find her!

The inu-hanyou started sniffing all around the alley, starting from where he had last left Kagome. The scent wasn't too old, and he was able to pick it up rather quickly, along with whatever had taken her. Inuyasha bared his fangs, growling once more as he leapt off in the same direction the scent led him. The trail led him through the little neighborhoods filled with houses, past a couple small shrines, and, finally, into an abandoned area of the Industrial section of the city.

Inuyasha leapt over a chained gate, having just run through the empty parking lot of a factory, and continued down the streets of a rundown neighborhood. He finally spotted Kagome and her kidnapper a few blocks away, after passing many tiny houses and turning many corners, following the scent-trail. When he saw them, he absently noticed that the youkai looked similar to the other one, but with purple hair instead of green.

Inuyasha's eyes flashed red momentarily as he suddenly caught a whiff of Kagome's blood. They quickly returned to gold as his senses told him it was not a mortal wound, but the realization did nothing to calm Inuyasha's anger. Fueled by one streaming thought, _'I'm gonna kill that fucker for hurting Kagome,'_ Inuyasha sped up even further as he neared the girl he'd sworn to protect.

"Kagome!" he called out. He saw her try to turn towards his voice, but the youkai prevented the action. It was then that Inuyasha saw what the youkai was running towards. _'Another one?'_ Inuyasha's eyes went wide in horror as it dawned on him that he wouldn't reach her in time. She was going to be pulled into another one of those strange holes that Mr. Green Hair had escaped through.

Inuyasha felt parts of the atmosphere around him being pulled into the portal, and noticed that both the trail of youki and the scent-trail were disappearing. He felt hopeless as he realized that if Kagome went through that portal, he would have no trail to follow to find her, even if he could figure out how to tear open the world just as these youkai seemed able to do. "Kagome, no!" he shouted, just as the Kag-napper made a final leap towards the black opening.

What happened next, though, caused Inuyasha to stumble and stare wide-eyed at the scene before him.

* * *

Kagome heard Inuyasha scream her name just as the hole grew big enough to fit through. She tried to look towards him, but was only able to catch a glimpse from the corner of her eye before her captor reasserted his control on her head. It was enough of a glimpse, however, to know he couldn't make it to her in time. She felt the tears in her eyes stream down her face at this thought, and she almost thought she could pass out from the stress of her worries. Then she felt the lurch of the youkai leaping towards the opening.

Suddenly, something inside her felt like it ripped open. It wasn't painful, it was powerful. It was overwhelming. It surged through her mind, through her body, from her very soul. Kagome's vision blurred and her head swam at the feeling of raw energy being unleashed within her. She saw a bright light flash all around her, and she heard a horrible howl of pain. Was it hers? She didn't feel in pain, but she couldn't be sure. Suddenly, the screaming stopped, and she had the sensation that she was floating.

'_Is this the afterlife?'_ her clouded mind couldn't grasp what had just happened. Perhaps she had died when they went through the portal? Was this what it felt like to be a bodiless soul? She stared blankly at the blurry world around her as she continued to float.

Soon, the sensation changed. She was no longer floating; she was falling. She barely registered the shift before she hit the ground with a thud, her legs collapsing underneath her before she fell face-first onto the hard surface. Well, she thought it would be a hard surface. It certainly had been for her legs. Kagome immediately realized, however, that it was softer than expected… and warm. Her mind snapped to attention, remembering her current predicament of being abducted, when she noticed she had landed in someone's arms instead of on the ground. Her head shot up quickly to see the face of the youkai that held her.

* * *

Inuyasha stood transfixed to his spot as he stared at the raven-haired miko and purple-haired youkai. Or, rather, what had been the purple-haired youkai.

In that instant that Mr. Purple Hair had leapt towards the black hole, a bright pink flash had erupted from Kagome. The hair on Inuyasha's arms, neck and ears had stood on end at the crackle of purifying energy that buzzed so close to him. Luckily, he was just out of reach of the damaging reiki. Kagome's abductor, however, wasn't so lucky. The purification energy sparked and sizzled as it engulfed him, burning through layer upon layer of skin, muscle and bone as he howled in pain and terror. It was agonizingly slow, though to anyone watching it happened in a flash. Finally, his screams stopped as the pink light ate through his diaphragm and lungs and up his throat to his vocal chords and tongue. His head was the last to go, eyes practically popping out of their sockets from the shock and horrible sensations. He was burnt to a crisp and fell to the ground, nothing more than a pile of ash.

Inuyasha watched as Kagome floated in midair, seemingly held up by the remnants of her reiki. After a few seconds, though, it disappeared completely; Kagome began to fall. Inuyasha screamed silently at his body to move, catching her upper body just before her head hit the ground. His torn arm greatly protested the action, sending pain shooting through the nerves and muscles near his wound. Inuyasha ignored it for the time being. He had to get Kagome away from the dimensional tear that was still pulling at them. He wasn't sure if it would eventually grow strong enough to suck them both into its inky-black depths.

He looked down at Kagome to see if she was okay, and was relieved to see she was looking up at him with relief and recognition on her face. He smiled as he let out a breath he'd been holding since he'd seen the youkai leap towards the portal. "Kagome, you're okay!"

"I didn't die?" Kagome asked. She smiled as she flung her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest, "Inuyasha, you saved me! I was so scared. I didn't think you'd reach me in time!" She looked up at him again, to make sure he was real, and remembered the wound on his arm as she saw his blood-stained shirt. "Oh, Inuyasha, your arm! We have to tie something over that to put pressure on the bleeding!" The blood wasn't too bad anymore, as his arteries had been missed, but there was still some bleeding.

Inuyasha tore off his shirt for her to use it on his arm. Then he remembered what she had just said before that. "Kagome, I didn't save you. I tried, but I couldn't reach you in time. You saved yourself." He looked into her eyes, to make sure she understood him. Her eyes widened.

"What? Inuyasha, but… how… I couldn't have done that!" she insisted, pointing to the pile of ash around her.

Inuyasha was about to tell her what he'd seen her do, when his ears started swiveling and his nose twitched. He sniffed and looked at Kagome, "I smell the fox again. He's coming this way. We need to get out of here." He picked her up in his good arm, his newly-bandaged arm hanging at his side, and ran until he thought they were a safe enough distance away.

* * *

"What are you waiting for, you fool, go after them!"

Mr. Green Hair looked at the person ordering him around as if they were crazy, "Hell no! You saw what that bitch did to my brother! I ain't got no death wish, girly! Why don't you send Pretty Boy over there? I'm through!" he gestured with a jerk of his thumb to the dark-haired teenager currently holding the portal open behind him.

"Nonsense," she retorted, "My son has to hold the portal open. He's the only one that can do it so efficiently, and his other talents are even less expendable. I can't risk his life for her capture, or all my planning would be in vain."

He narrowed his eyes at her, "You knew that human bitch had those powers, didn't you! Why didn't you have the kid open up a closer portal for my brother? He might've made it back in one piece instead of being left a pile of ashes in Ningenkai!" His eyes widened back open as he caught on to something else she'd just said, "You called him your son? How's that possible when you're—''

Cutting him off, she ignored his last question, "I didn't realize the depth of her power, I assure you. That was the most reiki she's ever expended before. As for the portal, my son can only open one at a time, and he was busy saving your ass at the time, if you'll remember. As soon as you were through, and your trail was cleaned up, he prepared the new portal for your brother." Her eyes snapped to the scene in Ningenkai and she quickly made her way closer to the boy staring blankly into the black hole of his own making. She had been slowly feeding on it for awhile, but now quickly pulled the last bits of evidence of the fight into her being as she saw two redheaded Reikai employees near the site. Placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, she ordered him to close the barrier once again.

Returning her attention to her lackey, she slipped a hand into the front of her obi and pulled out a hidden object, flashing a light across his face as it caught the reflection of the nearby torches. His eyes went wide as he saw it and he began to back away, soon finding himself up against a wall. The item in his pursuer's hands began to glow as it worked its magic on him. Soon, his eyes were blank slates and she smiled in satisfaction, hiding the magical object away once again.

"Now," she said with a smirk, "I believe our friend, here, will be much more cooperative, ne?"

"Yes, Okaa-sama." Her boy companion agreed monotonously, feeling the title would be allowed now that she had revealed their relationship. He bowed to her.

* * *

Inuyasha stopped as he realized they were nearing the boardwalk once again and his bloodied and bandaged appearance might raise suspicion.

"Set me down, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha looked at her incredulously. "Kagome, we have to keep moving. I'm not risking you getting taken again."

"But, Inuyasha, I need to cast that spell on you so they can't track us by your blood scent!" she insisted, wiggling out of his one-arm-hold on her and turning to face him as she prepared herself for the spell. She had the same determination as the last time she had worked the spell, and it was just as effective as before. This time, however, she did not lose herself in the power of it; she stayed completely conscious and aware of her surroundings.

Inuyasha's blood-scent was masked and his wound partially healed, though not completely as it had a few days before, since there was much deeper damage this time. The muscles were mostly repaired, but the wound was still open. Kagome took the bloody shirt remnants off Inuyasha's arm and wet the non-bloodied ends of it in a puddle leftover from the rains. She cleaned off the blood drying on Inuyasha's exposed skin, running the damp material over his arm, side, chest and abs, before throwing the rag in a nearby dumpster. She then untied the sash of her sundress, and had Inuyasha slice through the seam that held it to the dress so she could use it to replace the bandage. Satisfied with her work, she nodded to Inuyasha that they could continue, and he grabbed her hand to hurry into the crowd on the boardwalk around the corner.

* * *

Kuwabara and Kurama ran through the streets of the town, following a trail of youki the kitsune-boy had picked up near a dented dumpster. He had also noticed the scent of a human female with the youkai, and worried that there was a hostage this time. The trail led them through many twists and turns around the small city, finally seeming the most concentrated as they neared the dead-end of a rundown neighborhood.

They felt a rush of reiki and paused momentarily to look to each other, both of them seeing the same recognition of the power on the other's face. Moments later there was another rush of energy as the trail they had been following was sucked past them, and, as they turned the next corner, they could see the black of a barrier rip as it closed quickly before their eyes. Finally reaching the end of the street, all they found was a rather large pile of ash. The youki was gone and there were no lingering scents, either. Not even the scent of the girl. Both boys groaned in frustration.

"Damn!" Kuwabara exclaimed, punching into the pile of ashes. At the contact, a tingle ran through his skin and prickled his spirit awareness. "Whoa, that was weird." He said more to himself than to Kurama.

"What's weird?" Kurama asked.

"These ashes… when I touch them I get that weird tingle in my senses. I think they're someone's remains."

Kurama stooped down closer to the ground and tried to sniff out a lingering scent, but he still couldn't pick anything up. _'Damn.'_

Suddenly, both he and Kuwabara stilled as their senses alerted them to another burst of reiki.

"You feel that?" Kurama asked, staring in the direction of the reiki.

Kuwabara's eyes, as well, did not leave the direction of the power that was screaming through his senses. "Yeah. Not as big as the last one, but it's got the same feel to it."

Kurama nodded once before they both sprinted off towards what they knew could answer at least some of their questions.

Soon, they arrived at their destination; the subject of their pursuit, however, was nowhere to be seen. Kurama caught the stench of blood and tracked it to the still-damp remains of a shirt in a nearby dumpster. Kurama wrapped it up inside the light jacket he had been wearing and signaled to Kuwabara to follow him onto the boardwalk.

As they walked through the crowd, still on the lookout for the reiki, Youko once again spotted the girl in the pink sundress. She was several feet ahead of them in the crowd, and might have blended in completely with the sea of people, had it not been for her silver-haired companion. A companion, both Youko and Kurama noticed, that was now shirtless and wore a pink sash on his upper arm… and holding the raven-haired girl's hand possessively. Kurama had to stop mid-step to try to exert more control over Youko than usual, as the demon tried to break out and chase after the girl, fully intent on maiming the owner of the hand that was on hers.

'_Youko, this is ridiculous,'_ Kurama screamed at his alter ego, his voice somewhat strained from the battle of wills. His legs were shaking, as they tried at once to both move forward and stay in place, and his hands were balled into fists. _'We have a job to do, Youko, and, even if we didn't, you can't just go around Ningenkai attacking random humans because they happen to be holding the hand of a girl you've never even met!'_

_(We have to get to her, Kurama. Take me to her now!) _Youko pulled as hard as he could on their body, trying to force it to obey his will, but Kurama kept a tight hold on him and remained in control of their body.

The girl finally disappeared completely into the crowd, her silver-haired friend not even in sight anymore, and Kurama was finally able to rein Youko back in completely.

Kuwabara gaped at his friend in concern and grabbed him by his shoulder. "Hey, Kurama, you okay? You looked like you were in some serious pain there for a minute."

"No, don't worry, Kuwabara, I'm fine now. Let's get back to the room and see if Botan found Yuusuke and Hiei yet."

End Chapter 7

* * *

Words First Appearing in Chapter Seven:

**_Okaa-sama:_** just as with "okaa-san" this means "mother" but is a much more formal way to say it

**_obi:_** the multi-layered sash used to tie up the waist of a kimono

* * *

**_A/N:_** Finally, I update! Sorry it took so long, guys… my birthday was last week and I let myself slack off a bit. I'm trying to get back on track now, though, so hopefully the next update won't take this long. Okay, apologies over, just one more thing to say. This is part 2 of 3 "No Vacation" chapters, and the next one is uber long (27 pages in Word, in fact-that should make up for the lateness of this chapter, ne?). Just wanted to let you know that. 

_**MM . org review replies:**_

**_tbiris:_** Well, as you see, they still haven't met. Don't worry, though, they will soon enough. All…well, most…err..SOME will be revealed in the next few chapters…

**_kiunehanyou:_** Glad you're so passionate about my fic! Just keep reading and you'll find out what happens… no secrets from me, though… at least not yet… my lips are sealed. : P

**_Shushikittychan:_** Sorry it took so long for me to update! I normally update faster than this. I'm so happy you're enjoying the fic, though! I love Inuyasha, too! (dances w/shushikittcychan)

**_smalfoy:_** Very interesting, eh? Thankies! As for the pairing, I'm not telling yet! I have decided what the ultimate pairing will be, but it'll still be awhile before it becomes clear… until then you guys will just hafta wait and see! (smirks evilly)

_**FF . net review replies:**_

**_Kagome-reincarnation:_** Welcies! I'm glad you didn't hafta murder me, either! Aiee! Torture? Please, no! I'm updating again, see? And I will try to get another up ASAP! Eh? My writing style has improved? I haven't noticed a change… I think it's just that I'm finally getting past the "setup" parts and moving towards the actual plot now... but thankies, since you think it's getting better! Maybe it is, I can't really tell.

**_montrith:_** Heheheh… had to have at least one evil cliffie. And since you "MUST read the next chapter" it did its job, ne? As for your analysis of the Inu/Kag relationship… so true! When it comes to the actual anime, I'm all about them ending up together. In fanfiction, though, I'll read pretty much any pairing and am fond of many alternate pairings. I'm not giving anything away yet, though. : P

* * *

Read and Review please! 


	9. No Vacation Part 3

Unexpected Ally

Disclaimer: YYH belongs to Yoshihiro Tagashi; IY belongs to Rumiko Takahashi

Chapter 8: No Vacation Part 3:

"This 'vacation' is over. We're going back now!" Inuyasha insisted, stuffing clothes into the suitcases he had finally wrenched from Kagome's grip.

"I said we're staying!" Kagome declared equally as stubborn, snatching back a suitcase and grabbing clothes out of it by the handful to put back into one of the empty dresser drawers.

"We're going!" Inuyasha shouted, grabbing the empty suitcase and stuffing its former contents back in.

"We're staying!" Kagome yelled, getting in his face.

"Going!" They were nose-to-nose now, glaring into each other's eyes with equal determination. Their breathing was ragged, and mingled hotly under their touching noses, as they were still catching their breath from the tug of war they'd had over the suitcases just a few minutes ago. Suddenly, they both became very aware of the contact and blushed, separating immediately. They were silent a few moments, feeling awkward and not sure how to break the silence.

Finally, Inuyasha did. "Kagome, it's not safe here. We need to go back to my time."

'_Uh oh, wrong words!'_ he realized, seeing Kagome's slight blush turn red with anger.

"Inuyasha! Your time is just as dangerous, if not more so! We're never safe if the jewel is involved, and there will be youkai after us no matter what! I promised Mama that Souta could have a nice vacation, and we're not cutting it short just because I was almost kidnapped, just like I am every other day in Sengoku Jidai! Now, we're staying, and that's final!" Inuyasha swore he saw steam coming from her head.

"But, Ka-''

"OSUWARI!" she bellowed. Ignoring the loud crash and violent shake of the floor, she calmly picked up the suitcases, dumped their contents back in the drawers, and left the room to hide the suitcases in Juri's room.

Luckily, the 19-year-old was asleep on a textbook and hadn't heard a word of the fight. She stirred from her sleep, however, when Kagome opened the door to her closet to put the suitcases away. The girl rubbed the sleep from her eyes and let her long, dark hair out of its bun, tousling it a bit at the scalp to get the dark brown locks to lie naturally again. She looked up at Kagome from her position, propping herself up on her elbows as she lay on her stomach on her bed.

"Ne, Kagome-chan, what are you doing in here?" she asked with a yawn.

Kagome smiled at her friend. "Gomen ne, Juri-chan. Just putting the suitcases in your closet. I didn't mean to disturb you." She bowed to her and turned to leave.

"It's okay, Kagome-chan. I shouldn't be sleeping anyway." She seemed not to care why the suitcases were all in her closet now, and Kagome was grateful she didn't need to think up an excuse.

Just then, Kagome realized how quiet the house was. "Hey, where are the boys, Juri-chan?"

"Oh, we went to the beach for a bit and ran into some school friends of yours. They said they'd keep an eye on the boys and drop them off for dinner so I could continue studying. They must still be with them."

"Friends of mine? What were their names?"

"Um… one of them was Eri, I believe. The other two, I don't remember their names."

"Oh, Kami-sama! They're here, too? They didn't tell me they were coming!" Kagome exclaimed at the news.

"Do you want to go see them? They were right down on the beach not too far from the path we take out of the woods. Why don't you go and I'll make dinner? You can invite them back, if you like." Juri offered.

"Hai. Arigatou, Juri-chan." Kagome bowed again and went to slip her sandals on before she left to find her friends.

* * *

"Oh, where is he?" 

"Where could he have gone?"

"I know I saw him run in here. Do you see him?"

Three bikini-clad females flitted about the woods, peering through bushes and around trees, searching for their lost prey.

Above them, in the dark branches of a tree, their prey scowled down at them, waiting for them to abandon their search. The girls, however, seemed to have an immeasurable amount of patience, and just continued looking for him. Finally, after what seemed like forever, they appeared to be heading back out of the woods. Claret eyes watched in anticipation as they started off down the trail. The scowl returned, however, when something made them retrace their steps. Or, rather, **_someone_**.

A girl with long, black hair, wearing a pink sundress and sandals, was walking down the opposite end of the path, calling towards them. Hiei groaned inwardly when he realized another female had just been added to their numbers. Realizing he may be there awhile, Hiei settled down in the tree, his legs crossed ankle-over-ankle in front of him on the branch as he leaned against the tree trunk with his arms behind his head. He tried to concentrate his senses on the rest of the forest in an effort to tune out the onna no baka, and vaguely noticed the scent of dog as the girl got closer, but thought nothing of it. He found he was unable to ignore them completely, and, giving up his futile efforts, he let the conversation occupy his attention fully.

* * *

As Kagome walked down the path, she could see three girls ahead of her near the end of the path. Drawing closer, she saw it was the very three girls she was on her way to find. 

"Eri, Yuka, Ayumi!" she called, waving her arm above her head in greeting. She quickly covered the distance between herself and her friends, smiling brightly as she stopped right in front of them.

"Kagome-chan!" they greeted in unison, hugging their friend.

"I didn't know you guys were going to be here!"

"Well, we just couldn't let you be stuck with four grade school boys for your summer break!" Ayumi explained.

"Yeah," Yuka agreed, and pointed a finger at Kagome, "We know you, Kagome-chan. You'd be completely selfless and let them have all the fun, losing the perfect opportunity to find a guy!"

Kagome rolled her eyes and sweatdropped. Even on her vacation, she couldn't avoid the interference of her friends on her love life. "You guys, I don't need to find a guy. I'm perfectly happy just how I am! Besides, I'm not here all alone."

"Yeah, we know," Eri spoke up, "Juri-san told us you were staying with her. That's gotta be boring, ne? She's like 19-going-on-50! All she ever does is study!"

"Well, a lot **_is_** expected of her, Eri-chan. If I had her determination, maybe I would do better in school. I really respect her devotion to her studies. She'll make it to University for sure."

"Yeah, well, I like having a life." Yuka remarked.

Kagome scrunched her nose up at her friend's comment, then remembered why she had been looking for them in the first place. "Hey, where are Souta and his friends? Juri-chan said you guys were keeping an eye on them for her."

"Oh, yeah," Ayumi answered, "We left them with Houjou-kun when we followed a group of girls who were going to watch this guy."

Yuka cut in, "Kagome-chan, you should've seen him! He was practicing with a katana at the end of the beach, and it was so cool! He was cute, too. Short, but cute, with this tall, spiky black hair that had a white star-shaped patch in front…"

"Yeah, and we tried to get him to talk to us, but he started running and we followed him in here. You haven't seen anyone in here, have you?" Eri asked hopefully.

"Nope," Kagome answered and giggled. "You guys chased a guy into the woods? Poor thing. I'd run from you, too, if you weren't my friends."

"Kagome-chan!" the three exclaimed, but Kagome just smiled, closing her eyes in her mirth.

"So Houjou-kun is here, too?"

"Hai. We figured you wouldn't be getting any guys on your own, so we brought Houjou-kun along since he's a sure thing. I mean, you guys have a thing going already, so we invited him with us." Yuka answered.

_'Great, here we go again.'_ Kagome groaned in her mind. Aloud she said, "You guys, there's nothing going on between Houjou-kun and I. We went on one date that you guys pushed me into, and I don't intend for there to be anymore!"

"You don't like Houjou-kun, Kagome-chan?" Ayumi asked.

"I like him just fine as a friend, Ayumi-chan, but as a boyfriend is another story. He's not exactly my type, and it wouldn't be fair to lead him on when I don't feel the same way for him that he does for me. Besides, I'm here with Inuyasha." Kagome slipped this last comment in quietly, knowing she would soon get a tirade from her friends.

"You're still with that two-timer, Mr. Possessive?" Yuka demanded to know.

"He's not a two-timer, Yuka-chan. You can't two-time someone you're not even with to begin with." Kagome spoke softly, contemplating the facts of their relationship. They were still just friends, even now that Kikyou was gone. It hadn't been very long since then, but she could never expect to take Kikyou's place, truly. She was Inuyasha's first love, after all, and Kagome was just a reincarnation. Even if things did become romantic between them, would Inuyasha be seeing her, or Kikyou?

She was brought out of her thoughts by Ayumi. "Well, why's he so possessive if he's not your boyfriend?"

"He's just very protective of me, that's all. C'mon, you guys, we don't have to completely deconstruct and analyze my relationship with Inuyasha right now, do we? Let's go get the boys and you can all come back to our cabin for dinner."

With that, she put her arms around her friends and directed them down the path and onto the beach.

* * *

At first, Hiei thought of the incessant chatter as an annoying buzzing in his ears. At the mention of the name Inuyasha, however, his ears had perked up. _'Dog Demon?'_ He listened a bit more intently after this, but no more information was given about the owner of the name, other than his being accused of two-timing and possessiveness. Hiei thought the two personality traits were contradictory, but couldn't help thinking that possessiveness, at least, would be expected of an actual dog demon. He thought it more likely that the name was one of those human "nicknames" rather than an actual given name, though. 

Finally, the girls left the woods, and Hiei dropped from his haven in the tree. He left the woods in a different direction than they had, hoping to avoid another mob coming after him. The three girls hadn't been the only ones to chase him, just the most determined. He couldn't help the smirk that crossed his face when he remembered how the girls had said he was cute. The memory made him think of Kurama and his fanclub. He was glad things like this weren't a regular occurrence in his daily life, and wondered how Kurama could stand it.

Hiei made it all the way to the hotel without being noticed. Unfortunately, inside the hotel, some girls had waited in the lobby to see if he would return there. As soon as he walked in, he was swarmed by Junior High fangirls. Just as he was losing his patience, which didn't take long, Botan pushed her way through the girls saying, "There you are!" She grabbed him by his ear, dragging him back through the way she came, and didn't let go until they were on the elevator.

They entered the Spirit Detectives' room with Hiei still glaring daggers at Botan.

"What!" she finally exclaimed, exasperated. "Did you really want to get torn to pieces by them? I saved your butt, Hiei, the least you could do is take that scowl off your face."

"I don't think it was necessary to abuse my ear in that manner, onna." He stated, rubbing his ear with an annoyed look on his face.

"What happened, Hiei? Did you get attacked by the youkai we were chasing?"

Hiei ignored Kuwabara, sitting on the couch and turning his face towards the window as usual.

"Oh, he got attacked, alright, but not by any youkai; though they were just as vicious, in my opinion. Maybe even more so." The blue-haired girl answered with a laugh in her voice.

"Who was attacked?" Yuusuke asked as he entered the room with Keiko, who was carrying Puu.

"Hiei was." Kuwabara answered simply.

"By who?" the dark-haired boy wondered.

"We were just about to find out. Please continue, Botan." Kurama implored, growing amused at the darkening scowl on his short-statured friend.

"Well," the Grim Reaper continued, "it seems our Hiei, here, has himself quite a following of the female persuasion."

"Huh?" Kuwabara and Yuusuke both asked.

"It's simple," Kurama answered, trying to keep his laughter under control, "Hiei has a fanclub."

The two human detectives broke down in fitful laughter at this, imagining hordes of screaming girls chasing after Hiei as he ran for dear life. Most of them would probably be taller than the fire apparition by at least a few inches. Kurama couldn't contain his amusement anymore and joined in their laughter, though he didn't make quite the fool of himself that his friends did. The two girls in the room also started giggling, and soon a soft growl could be heard from the Jaganshi. This is the scene that Shizuru happened to walk in on.

"What the hell is going on?" the girl muttered around her cigarette.

Kurama, Botan and Keiko quickly composed themselves, and Keiko and Botan grabbed Yuusuke and Kuwabara from where they were rolling on the floor and smacked them to bring them to their senses.

"We were just about to discuss the events of this afternoon, but we were waiting for everyone to get here." Kurama explained to the girl.

Kuwabara finally settled down, and added to Kurama's answer. "Yeah, and we were gonna find out where the heck Yuusuke and Hiei were. Well, Hiei was being chased by a bunch of crazy girls. Where were **_you_**, Urameshi?"

Yuusuke shrugged and put his arm around Keiko, who blushed. No one pushed the issue for the girl's sake, figuring they had been off making out somewhere. A closer look at her slightly ruffled hair and both teenagers' slightly swollen and pinked lips could easily confirm these suspicions.

"Okay, then, let's get down to business." Botan directed everyone to sit. Shizuru opted to lean against the wall and Hiei perched on the arm of the couch while everyone else sat down.

Kuwabara and Kurama recounted the events of the afternoon since Botan had informed them of the breakthrough. Once they were done, Kurama had a little more information to add that Kuwabara didn't know yet. First, though, he needed to make sure of something.

"Hiei, onegai, tell me again what you noticed after you killed that youkai on the cliff."

Hiei turned his attention to his friend. "His prey seemed to be a silver van passing under the cliff. I didn't notice anything special about it, so I left." He answered simply, not sure what Kurama was looking for.

"Okay, but you said something about what you smelled, ne? Like an inu scent?"

Hiei looked slightly confused at this line of questioning, "Hai."

"Well, before the trail we followed was cleaned up completely, I noticed a faint scent of inu, along with the youkai and the onna."

"What? There was?" Kuwabara asked.

"That doesn't necessarily mean the two are related. I mean lots of humans have dogs. That girl probably had a dog and its scent was on her." Yuusuke reasoned.

_(No, I know this fact is important, Kurama. I have a feeling about it.)_

'_**I agree with the fox on this one, Kurama.'**_

'_I know, but it doesn't mean anything until we know **why** it's important.'_

"Well, I for one think this should at least be reported to Koenma-sama." Botan stated matter-of-factly. With that, she produced her oar out of nowhere and flew out an open window.

* * *

Inuyasha sat in a tree near the cabin, frowning out at the dark woods. Inside the cabin, Kagome sat on the couch chatting with her friends. Including that boy; that "Hobo" boy. Inuyasha stifled a low growl at the thought of him. 

Kagome's friends had spent most of the night trying to push Kagome and "Hobo" together. At dinner, they had literally sat her down right next to the boy, shoving Inuyasha to the opposite side of the table. Yuka took Inuyasha's former place on the other side of Kagome during the meal, and Eri and Ayumi sat on either side of the inu-hanyou. The rest of the household were allowed to sit wherever they pleased. The dinner conversation had been monopolized by the three girls' chatter about the upcoming beach party, and ended in the living room, with the girls declaring that the party would be the perfect time for a date between the two unsuspecting teenagers. Kagome had tried to get out of it, but her friends seemed not to have heard her, as they just kept on blabbering about what they should wear.

At this point, Inuyasha had been beyond irritated, and had begun to protest. The three matchmakers quickly wrestled him out of the room.

"What does it matter to you, two-timer? You're just friends anyway, ne?" Yuka had uttered before snapping the shoji shut.

Once more, Inuyasha had to stifle a growl. What the hell was a two-timer? And what right did they have to decide who Kagome would "date"? He didn't know what that meant, exactly, but it obviously had something to do with them spending time alone together; something Inuyasha was wholeheartedly against. He decided if he couldn't prevent this "date" completely, he would at least be there to keep an eye on "Hobo".

* * *

Kagome's friends finally left around 10, and Kagome breathed a sigh of relief at the silence that occupied the house. Souta, Satoru, Aki and Haru had gone to bed early just to get away from the giggly chatter. Houjou had left soon after Yuka had finalized the plans for his and Kagome's date, so he hadn't had to endure what the other boys did. Thinking of this, Kagome groaned. Why couldn't they just leave her alone? She'd already told them she didn't want to date Houjou, but they seemed to have completely ignored her, thinking they knew best. 

'_Oh well,'_ she thought resignedly, _'at least once we're alone I might be able to get a word in. Then I can tell him I'm not really interested.'_

Kagome went to her room, changed, and went to bed. A few minutes after she was asleep, Inuyasha crept into the room. He stared at her moonlit face a few moments before getting a pair of pajama pants and going to use the bathroom and change.

* * *

"Yukimura Keiko." The brown-haired girl introduced herself with a slight bow and a bright smile. 

"Higurashi Kagome." The raven-haired girl did the same. "And these guys are my brother Souta, and his friends Aki, Haru and Satoru," she continued, pointing out the owner of each name. The boys were currently sprawled out in the sand, tired out from racing Inuyasha all over the beach. "He's Inuyasha," she added, pointing down the beach.

The silver-haired, black-bandanaed boy was currently racing another vacationer's dog, having found no competition in the boys whatsoever. He had a lot of energy he needed to use up, especially considering his bad mood from the night before had not completely dissipated. Having been forbidden to take his frustrations out in the usual destructive manner, he'd quickly found that a good physical competition could be almost as helpful. He was also partially trying to keep from being alone with Kagome, since, when he was near her today, he couldn't help but think of that "Hobo" kid. Those thoughts… were not pleasant in the least. So, he kept himself busy so he wouldn't have to think.

* * *

When Koenma had been informed of yesterday's events, he had given the Tantei two orders. Yuusuke and Kuwabara were to do regular patrols of the resort, while Kurama and Hiei were to go into Makai and hunt for information. The two youkai were also going to find out if the kidnapping of the girl had been successful or if she had escaped when the youkai was killed. 

Keiko and Shizuru had been left to occupy themselves. It had been easy last night, as it had been past dinnertime when the boys had left. Today, however, the older girl had decided to practice her katas in the hotel gym, so Keiko went for a walk on the beach, leaving Puu with Botan. She had been watching four young boys chase after a silver-haired boy about her age, and noticed a girl laughing and calling to them. Deciding she felt like making friends, Keiko had strode up to the girl and commented on how easily the older boy had outlasted the younger ones, who were now sprawled out in the sand. She then introduced herself to the girl, whose name, she learned, was Kagome.

* * *

"Are you going to the beach party tonight?" Keiko asked Kagome, after they had been talking awhile. The girls had made fast friends. 

Kagome groaned slightly, "Hai, Keiko-chan. Are you?" She liked sitting and talking with the girl. She was much more relaxing to be around than her three school friends were lately.

"I'm not sure. What's the matter? Don't you want to go?" she questioned her new friend.

"Oh, it's not that. It's just that my friends set me up on this date with this guy I don't really like that way, even though I told them so, and I'm kind of dreading how to let him down easily. He's so nice and always giving me gifts, but he's a little overbearing and I just don't feel the same way for him that he does for me." Kagome looked questioningly at the girl beside her. "What about you, don't you want to go?"

"I'd love to go, but I don't know if my boyfriend will be able to take me. He and his friends have been really busy lately. They might have to patrol tonight." It slipped out of her mouth before she could stop herself and Keiko hoped it didn't sound too suspicious.

"Patrol? What are they, beach security?"

Keiko silently cheered the provided excuse. "Hai, beach security. That's exactly what they do."

"Well, I hope he can come. If he can't, though, you should still come. It'll be so much fun, and you can hang out with me. Give me an excuse not to be alone with Houjou-kun."

Keiko laughed. "You know, I think I will come. After all, it's not everyday you get to go to a costume party on the beach, ne?"

The girls continued their conversation, discussing their costume ideas, and agreed to meet up again on the boardwalk after lunch so they could shop for their costumes.

* * *

"Man, this is boring. We should've gone to Makai with Kurama and Hiei." Yuusuke and Kuwabara walked down the main strip of the boardwalk, still patrolling. They had found nothing so far today, just as they hadn't the night before, either. 

"Yeah," Kuwabara agreed, "I bet those guys are getting all kinds of fighting action."

Yuusuke put his hands in the pockets of his shorts and kicked at a pebble.

Suddenly, Kuwabara exclaimed, "Hey, isn't that Keiko-chan?"

Yuusuke looked up and followed Kuwabara's gaze through the window of a shop across the street. Sure enough, his girlfriend was in the costume shop with a dark-haired girl he didn't know. Smirking, he slinked into the store and snuck up behind Keiko, preparing to surprise the girl.

* * *

Kagome and Keiko had been to a few different costume shops on the boardwalk, but hadn't found anything they liked yet. Kagome was grateful she had been able to talk Inuyasha into keeping the boys at the beach so she could shop. She couldn't imagine trying to go into all the little boutiques with all five boys in tow. 

Finally, it seemed they had found the perfect outfits. Kagome had had to stop herself from having a giggle fit when the shopkeeper told the story of the historical priestesses the outfits were based on.

(Flashback)

Keiko and Kagome entered the shop with hopeful looks on their faces. They'd been shopping for two hours almost, without finding anything they liked. Scanning the store for anything that caught their eye, Keiko gasped and pulled Kagome over to the 'Historical Figures' wall. She quickly reached up to pull down two priestess outfits, identical except for the color of the sode-nashi-hanten worn over the typical white, bell-sleeved shirt. Where one was red, the other was sky blue. Instead of the traditional red hakama, they were white. It gave Kagome a feeling of déjà vu.

She was trying to think where she had seen outfits like them before, and almost jumped out of her skin when a voice spoke up behind her.

"Ah, excellent choice, girls," the old shopkeeper croaked out. "Of course, you must know the story of the two young miko whose own traditional clothing these were fashioned after?"

"No, I'm sorry, I don't." Keiko stated.

Kagome hesitated, but decided to go ahead and speak up. "I've seen these outfits somewhere before, but I can't remember where."

The old woman looked at her for a moment, seemingly inspecting her, then went ahead with her explanation. "Momiji and Botan; the legendary Red and White Miko, and the last two miko to be taught by the very Master that also trained the legendary Kikyou, Protector of the Shikon no Tama. Momiji and Botan were very advanced in the use of paper seals and shikigami, and traveled the country during Sengoku Jidai, ridding villages of youkai and other evils. They were also miko of great friendship and were said to spread good will wherever they went. These costumes, girls, have great meaning, and if two friends such as yourselves were to each go as one of the pair it would surely bless your friendship." The shopkeeper finished with a twinkle in her eye and both girls stood staring at her. Keiko, because she was still taking it all in; Kagome, because she was trying to get over the shock of having known two legendary miko before they became legends, 500 years ago. The implications of such a thought sent her head spinning, and she felt like giggling madly.

(End Flashback)

"I-I think we'll take them, ne, Kagome-cha-aaah! Hentai!" The smack of her palm against Yuusuke's cheek echoed slightly in the mostly-empty shop as the girl blushed from being goosed. "Yuusuke! What kind of greeting is that?"

Yuusuke chuckled and smiled, despite his stinging cheek. "Keiko, I didn't know you were going shopping. Where's Shizuru?"

"Shizuru-san's still at the hotel. And I wasn't planning on going shopping, but I decided to go to the beach party tonight and needed to get a costume for it. Kagome-chan needed to get one, too, so we decided to go together."

"Kagome-chan?" he asked, regarding the black-haired girl questioningly.

"Hai, Higurashi Kagome." She introduced herself, starting to bow.

Yuusuke stuck his hand out for a handshake instead, "Urameshi Yuusuke. Nice to meet you, Kagome-chan. How do you know Keiko?"

Kagome smiled and shook his hand, "We met on the beach just this morning."

"Hai," Keiko agreed, "and we're going to the party together tonight since you probably can't take me."

"Huh? Well, maybe I can… I'll hafta talk to Kurama and Hiei first, though." said Yuusuke.

Just then, Kuwabara walked into the shop as well, "Oi, Urameshi, we better finish patrolling and go check in with Botan."

"Oh, that reminds me," Keiko exclaimed, turning to Kagome, "we still need to pay for our costumes."

As they paid, the old woman reminded them that Momiji wore the red and Botan wore the blue. Keiko decided to go as Momiji and Kagome as Botan. They then left the shop and stood together on the sidewalk.

"So who's your friend, Keiko-chan?" Kuwabara asked.

"Oh, forgive me. This is Kagome-chan. We met on the beach earlier. Kagome-chan, this is Kuwabara-kun."

"Kuwabara Kazuma." The boy stated with a stiff bow.

"Higurashi Kagome." She repeated for the third time that day, returning the bow.

"Well, we'd better be on our way. It was nice meeting you, Kagome-chan. Maybe we'll see you later on the beach." Turning to his girlfriend, Yuusuke kissed her cheek and said softly, "Bye, Keiko. I'll see you at the hotel."

"Kagome-chan," Keiko addressed the girl, "you said the costumes looked familiar, but according to that woman they were unique to the Red and White Priestesses. Where could you have seen them?"

Luckily, Kagome realized she had the perfect excuse for this question. "Well, my family is a shrine family, and we live with my Grandfather at our shrine. I must've seen a picture of them in one of his scrolls. He's always bringing those things out and making Souta and I study them."

"Oh, wow, so you're a shrine maiden?"

_'You don't know the half of it.'_ Kagome thought. Aloud, she said, "Well, sort of, yeah."

Keiko and Kagome decided to part ways, and made plans to meet in the hotel around seven that evening, since Kagome would be meeting her other friends there as well.

* * *

"Come on, Inuyasha, it'll be fun." Kagome pleaded. 

"You know, that sounds strangely familiar. Where have I heard that before? Oh, yeah, that's what you said about coming on this vacation, but, since we got here, we've been attacked twice; plus I had to endure the company of those pushy girls you call your friends. I don't think of that as fun, and I'm sure this "party" will be no better, especially with all the people you say will be there. I'm not going."

"Fine, Inuyasha!" Kagome said, exasperated. "I **_am_** going, though, so have fun with Juri-chan and the boys tonight." With that, she stalked off to the bathroom to get ready.

Inuyasha knocked loudly on the door and called in to her, "Kagome, you can't go. What if you're attacked again?"

"I'll be fine, Inuyasha," he heard her answer, though it was muffled a bit by the door. "I'm taking my bow and arrows with me. The party has a Sengoku Jidai theme, so no one will think twice."

This didn't soothe Inuyasha's unease, however. Finally, he sighed in defeat, "Fine, I'll go, but only to keep an eye on you. I'll keep a lookout while you have your "fun"."

Kagome peeked her head out the door to smile at the hanyou. "Okay, Inuyasha. Thank you. Now go change into your fire rat kimono. Your normal clothes will actually fit in much better tonight." She shut the door again and continued getting ready.

* * *

"Okay, you two, I guess it'll be okay. You**_ did_** check the city thoroughly, and Kurama and Hiei still haven't returned since last night, so Koenma-sama has no further orders as of yet. Go ahead and go and I'll stay here with Puu and Shizuru-san." Botan gave Yuusuke and Kuwabara the approval for a night off on the beach. 

Yuusuke went to tell Keiko. He and Kuwabara didn't have costumes, so they would just wear their beach clothes, but at least they could go. Once Keiko was ready, the three friends left to meet Kagome, leaving Botan and Shizuru to entertain themselves. Currently the older girl was practicing her hairdressing skills on the blue-haired girl, a cigarette hanging from her lips, and the last thing they heard before closing the door to the room was, "Aiee! Shizuru-san you're pulling my hair!"

* * *

Kagome waited in the hotel lobby with Inuyasha, both dressed in their feudal clothing; for Kagome it was a costume; for Inuyasha it was normal, everyday garb. Kagome, as she had said earlier, had her bow and arrows with her, having packed them knowing about the theme of the party already. Inuyasha wore his sword unconcealed for the first time since coming to Kagome's era five nights ago; he also wore a red bandana instead of the usual black. Costume party or no, Kagome didn't want to risk him being found out. She had also re-cast the spell over his youki, just to be extra cautious. 

Keiko, Yuusuke and Kuwabara were the first to meet up with them a few minutes after Kagome and Inuyasha had entered the building. The girls took charge of the introductions and the guys stood around eyeing each other suspiciously, sizing each other up. The girls simply rolled their eyes at them, simultaneously thinking, _'Guys!' _It wasn't long before they were asking Inuyasha about his costume and his sword. He did his best to answer their questions without giving away what he really was, or when he was actually from. When they asked about his bandana, he stated simply that he wanted to wear it, and they accepted the answer.

Within five minutes of the introductions, Yuka, Eri and Ayumi also joined the group. They looked displeased at the number of people hanging around Kagome. She was, after all, supposed to be on a date with Houjou. One person in the group, in particular, brought distaste to Yuka's face.

"Kagome-chan!" Eri and Ayumi greeted their friend cheerily, unaware of the sour look on Yuka's face.

"Konbanwa!" Kagome greeted with a smile. She introduced the group to each other as they waited for the final addition to their gang.

Yuka glared at Inuyasha, something that wasn't missed by the hanyou, but that he wisely chose to stay quiet about. He did, however, glare right back.

"Kagome-chan," Yuka got the girl's attention from the chat she was having with the other three girls.

"Hai, Yuka-chan?"

"You do remember that tonight you're supposed to have a date with Houjou-kun, ne? So, why did you bring **_him_**?" She pointed her finger at Inuyasha, as if accusing him of a crime.

"Yuka-chan!" Eri and Ayumi were surprised at their friend's attitude. Sure, they thought Houjou and Kagome would be a perfect couple, but they had nothing against Inuyasha. They had just met him, after all, and he'd given them no reason to dislike him.

"Listen, you, Kagome already tried to tell you she doesn't want to date "Hobo", but you wouldn't listen! She **_asked_** me to come with her tonight. I didn't want to, but I agreed so that I can make sure your little golden boy doesn't try anything funny, along with anyone else that might try to start somethin'. So you just keep your big nose in your own business and let me worry about Kagome."

There was silence in the group as they were shocked by the outburst of both the girl and the boy. Kagome's eye twitched, and she couldn't decide which she felt more of: embarrassment or anger. Anger at whom, she wasn't sure; maybe it was at both of them. She wished they weren't in public so she could sit the inu-hanyou, and realized that if she could sit Yuka, as well, she would.

Just as Kagome was about to scold the two of them for acting childish, Houjou appeared beside Kagome, and grabbed her hand to put a gift in it before she even noticed he was there. "Here, Higurashi-san, some special tea blends and aromatherapy ointments in order to help keep your health up. I wouldn't want you to miss the first day back at school because you don't take care of yourself on your vacation." He then held out another bag that he had set down beside his feet. He pulled out a dark blue haori and put it around Kagome's shoulders. "Please wear this, as well, since it can get chilly on the beach at night. We don't need you catching cold, now." He said with a smile.

The whole group sweatdropped at the boy's behavior.

"Uh… arigatou, Houjou-kun. I'm fine, though, really. This outfit is rather warm."

Looking a little rejected, he returned the haori to the bag, but turned a bright smile back to her and said, "Okay, well it's right here when you need it."

"I hope you don't mind, Houjou-kun, but I invited some other friends to come with us as well."

"No, not at all, Higurashi-san."

Once again, Kagome introduced the people that didn't know each other, and they all left for the beach together. When they made it to the party, they saw the whole main beach area decorated with torches, with lanterns strung around the main stage, in front of which people were dancing. There was a band playing traditional music from the themed era, but soon a local band took the stage and started playing more modern things. Inuyasha stayed on the sidelines, pacing the perimeter of the main area and keeping a lookout for anyone or anything suspicious.

Eri and Ayumi danced together and scoped for guys. Yuka dragged Kuwabara onto the dance area, just to have an excuse to be there and keep an eye on Kagome and Houjou. The orange-haired boy tried to resist, but Yuka ignored him, completely focused on making sure Kagome stayed with her date. Yuusuke and Keiko danced together away from the rest of the group, and Yuusuke held her close during the slow songs. Kagome really wanted to tell Houjou their date wasn't real, but she also wanted to dance. Her earlier attempts to get Inuyasha to join her had crashed and burned, so she was left with Houjou. She didn't think it would be right to tell him she didn't want to see him, and still expect him to dance with her, so she kept quiet. She knew it probably wasn't any better to deceive him just so she could dance, but if he had truly paid attention to anything she'd said about the date the night before he would already know her feelings about him and their date. He was just a friend, and this was just a party.

After about forty-five minutes, the band took a break and a DJ set up music to play on the sound system. Most of the dancers took a break to get drinks and snacks, Kagome and her new friends included in that crowd. An announcer got on the mic as they were standing together near a patch of bushes, and started talking about how great the party was going that night and how accurate so many of the costumes were. He announced that there would be a contest for best costume and encouraged people to enter before announcing what time the night's fireworks would start. Kagome's school friends ran up to her just then to tell her to enter the contest. They weren't going to, as they had worn simple kimonos for the occasion and knew they wouldn't win, but they adored Kagome's costume.

"Well, if I enter, Keiko-chan should enter with me. After all, our costumes are part of a set. We wouldn't want to disrespect the Red and White Priestesses by entering separately." She said with a smile and playfulness in her voice.

"Hai, you are right Kagome-chan!" Keiko giggled, thinking of what the shopkeeper had said earlier that afternoon.

Just as they were making their way to the side of the stage where the registration for the contest was, the earth began to rumble and shake. It wasn't much more than a tremor, but people soon became frightened when the sky at the end of the beach near the woods began to spark. A loud hissing noise could be heard, growing quickly to a shriek and sending people running back towards the hotel. Even those staying in the cabins ran to the hotel in order to keep as much distance as they could between themselves and the odd phenomenon near the woods.

As soon as it started, Kagome felt a chill go through her soul and knew this was just the beginning. She turned to Keiko, "Keiko-chan, you, Yuusuke and Kuwabara should go back to the hotel. Could you please go get my friends and take them back with you, also? Tell them I'll be there soon. I have to find Inuyasha first, though, okay?" The brown-haired girl nodded vigorously and ran off to get Eri, Yuka, Ayumi and Houjou. Once she was out of sight, Kagome took her bow off her shoulder and steeled herself for what was to come, whatever it may be.

* * *

Yuusuke and Kuwabara knew something was about to happen. Kuwabara had felt uneasy for the last five minutes before the tremor had even begun and had told Yuusuke about it. Yuusuke saw Keiko running back towards them, and grabbed her to tell her to go back to the hotel with her new friends. She quickly told him what Kagome had asked her to do and went off to find the others. 

The two boys looked at each other in worry, realizing Keiko's new friend would be in danger when the barrier finally opened up, as they knew it would soon. From the behavior of the atmosphere, they suspected it wouldn't just be one or two youkai coming through this time. They had to find the girl, and her silver-haired, strangely-named friend, and get them to safety before a horde of nasty Makai inhabitants could have a chance to tear them apart. Kuwabara quickly ran off in the direction he had last seen Inuyasha and Yuusuke went after Kagome's last-known whereabouts. Quickly making it to the side of the stage, the girl was no longer there and Yuusuke looked around for where she could've gone. He couldn't tell which footprints were hers in the sand because of all the other people still running around trying to get back to the hotel.

The tremor grew in intensity suddenly and Yuusuke looked back towards the growing hole in the barrier in horror. The sparks shooting from the baseball sized hole had grown to span out twenty feet in radius from the hole. This wasn't what had the blood draining from the boy's face however. It was the fact that he had finally spotted Kagome… and she was running **_towards_** the opening barrier!

* * *

Gulp. "Aah, no, onegai! I'll tell you anything, I swear!" 

The sniveling youkai was currently trapped in one of Kurama's faithful vines, with both a deadly thorn-covered vine and a gleaming katana aimed at his neck. They left no room for argument.

"Good. We thought you may see it that way." Hiei replied with an evil smirk.

"What do you want to know?" the trapped youkai asked nervously, staring down the katana.

"Yesterday, around 5 in the afternoon, was a human girl smuggled into Makai?" Kurama questioned him.

"A human girl? I never heard nothin' about no human girl."

"Do you know who might have been planning a human kidnapping?"

"I know lots of youkai that would love to have a human on the menu. Especially a girl." The youkai oozed out. He gulped again as the vines squeezed a bit tighter and the two weapons aimed at him drew closer. "I don't know anyone that's specifically planning any kidnappings! If I did, I swear I'd tell you!"

"What about the barrier breakthroughs? Have you heard anything about who's planning them?"

"There've been breakthroughs? I ain't heard nothin' about it! Damn, what's a guy hafta do to get a little heads-up around here?"

"Actually have a head, for one." Hiei pressed the length of his blade against the tender skin just under the youkai's Adam's apple. Moonlight glinted off the blade, making it appear even more deadly, if that were possible.

"No, onegai, I'm answering your questions. I can't tell you what I don't know!"

"Tell us something you **_do_** know then. Any rumors popping up in the popular circles?" Kurama ventured.

"No, not that I've heard." At this, Hiei narrowed his eyes and prepared to strike. "Wait! There is something! I didn't think of it right away 'cause it's nothing about what you've been asking, but who knows, right?"

Hiei lowered his weapon.

"Please continue." Kurama implored.

"Okay, okay, well there've been some rumors going around that a bunch of youkai have been disappearing. In the past five days, at least eight guys from three different gangs have gone missing without a trace."

"That can't be an uncommon occurrence. Our race isn't exactly known for its loyalty. There must be many youkai that desert gangs they claim allegiance to, only to try to gain more power themselves." Hiei remarked snidely.

"A couple of them were already prominent members of their gang, though. There was no reason to try to break off. Other demons are becoming superstitious because of it. All of them seem to have disappeared from around the same area in Makai, near the Forest of the Void."

"Don't tell me a bunch of grown youkai are scared of a children's story!" Kurama remarked, amused.

"Children's story?" Hiei questioned. Growing up with the bandits, he hadn't been exposed to many things normal youkai children would learn from their parents.

"Hai, Hiei. There are stories many Makai parents tell their children when they're young. Many Makai superstitions stem from these stories and are followed even into adulthood by some." Kurama explained, "One of these stories is about the Forest of the Void. The story goes that, centuries ago, there was a youkai child spawned from a collection of many youkai parts. Her creator had no love for her and used her for his own selfish quest for power, yet the girl was loyal to him to the end. However, one day the end did come, and the girl was left all alone. She left her Master's castle and wandered until she found a cave deep in a forest. Since she had been created instead of conceived, she had no soul and no true purpose; she was nothing more than a shell. She had no place among others and became a recluse in her cave. Yet, somehow, the will to survive came to grip her heart, and slowly emotion seeped into it as well. She began to feel lonely, and her lonesomeness grew to bitterness. She longed to take retribution for her forced solitude and began to collect power. The only way she could do this, however, was to steal it from others, and she began to set traps for wandering youkai in the woods near the cave she lived in. When she caught them, it was like a spell came over them and they couldn't fight back. She would suck out their very soul and use it to fill the void where her soul should have been. The soul would eventually die, along with the powers she gained with it, and so she would set even more traps to fill the emptiness. No matter what she did, though, the only true power she could claim as her own was the very emptiness of her shell that she despised so much. To this day, she is said to still plague her forest, and no one who ventures inside ever makes it out. Or, at least, that is the superstition of the tale."

Hiei was silent for a few moments, letting the story sink in, then he turned back to their hostage, "And you believe this nonsense?"

"Hell, I didn't used to, but now that all these disappearances have been happening, I'm not taking any chances. After all, most folk tales have some basis in fact, ne? Just the fact that no one can even find a trail to follow to find them is enough to keep me outta there!"

"Hold on," Kurama interjected, "what did you just say?"

The youkai looked puzzled. "I said I'm sure as hell gonna keep my distance from the Forest of the Void."

"No, about not finding a trail."

"Oh, that. Well, a couple search parties were sent out to look for some of them-the ones whose last whereabouts were known for sure. All of them were within a couple miles of the Forest. But no trail was left behind to follow them. Their scent was gone, there was no detectable youki, and no one in the area seemed to know anything about what had happened. It was the exact same story for each missing demon."

Hiei and Kurama looked at each other with the realization of what was being said. **_This_** was what they had been searching for. They nodded to each other and Kurama let the youkai free from his vines as Hiei sheathed his katana. The informant dropped to the ground unceremoniously and looked shocked at his new freedom.

"You're… just letting me go?"

"You answered our questions, didn't you?" Kurama answered with a question.

Hiei smirked, resting his hand on the hilt of his katana, "If you prefer, I can still relieve your neck of the weight of your head."

The youkai's green face paled to almost white. Shaking his head furiously, he scrambled to get up and ran away.

'_**Perhaps there is actually more to this childhood story, after all?'**_

'_I think you may be right, Hiei. It certainly deserves looking into. We should tell the others what we've found out so far, first. I think it most likely that the girl was able to escape, because the presence of a human female would be hard to keep secret. Especially since it's already been a full day since the incident.'_

_(Especially if she was anything like our human female.)_

Kurama groaned. Not again. _'Don't start that again, Youko. We need to focus.'_

'**_Your human female? Don't tell me you're finally giving in to one of your rabid fangirls, fox.'_**

'_Please,' _Kurama said with a roll of his eyes_, 'I'm not out of my mind.'_

'_**That's a matter of opinion.'** _Hiei replied, his mouth quirking up in amusement.

_(I would never become that desperate, hybrid.)_ Youko replied haughtily. _(None of those silly onna could compare to mine.)_

'_Youko, you've never even met her! And, besides, she was with someone already.'_

Youko made a sound of indifference._ (Once she meets us, that won't matter.)_

Hiei laughed quietly at the audacity of the silver kitsune. Kurama simply stared off in disbelief. He could feel the fox grin on Youko's face deep in their soul.

'_Youko, this is not the time or place for this discussion. We need to inform the others of our new information.'_

_(Fine, Kurama, but don't think this ends the issue. I won't allow you to continue torturing me by remaining a virgin forever. What we could do with that girl…)_ Youko trailed off, preferring, instead, to send graphic images of his plans streaming through Kurama's imagination. The sudden rapid onslaught of sexual fantasies hit Kurama hard, and he blushed when he noticed he was becoming aroused.

Hiei grinned slyly. **_'Do you two need a room?'_**

_(Only if you are offering your company, hybrid.)_ Youko's smirk could be heard in his voice. How he loved taunting his teen host and his fire apparition friend.

'_**Kitsune no hentai.'**_

Kurama blushed further. _'Youko, I swear, if I ever find a way, I'm killing you.'_ Not even looking at the fire apparition, Kurama created a rift in the barrier and the two-or three, if you want to be particular-of them entered Ningenkai.

As soon as they set foot on the trembling earth, they knew something was wrong. They could hear the screams coming from the beach from where they had come out near the residential section. Kurama could faintly smell the poisonous vapors of Makai coming from the same direction as the screams, and the two youkai quickly took off towards the beach.

* * *

Inuyasha was on the other end of the beach, near the rocky cliffs, when the ground under his feet started to shake. Soon afterwards, his ears flattened to his skull underneath his bandana when the high-pitched hiss started and people began screaming. He quickly turned back towards the main stretch of beach and his nose instantly wrinkled in disgust from the odd smell. He desperately searched for Kagome in the running crowds. Of course, he realized, she wouldn't run like she should; she would want to protect the people running. 

As he neared the place he had last seen Kagome and her friends, he came upon Kuwabara.

"Oi, Inuyasha, right? Kagome-chan went to look for you. Urameshi went to get her and he's gonna send her to the hotel so he and I can take care of this."

Inuyasha took off running again, towards the woods and the crackling dimensional rift; and towards Kagome.

"Oi, where are you going? Urameshi's getting her; you should wait here for her!" Kuwabara started running after the silver-haired boy. If the Makai barrier opened up while Inuyasha and Kagome were over there, he didn't want to think about what could happen!

* * *

Kagome ran the stretch of the beach; it seemed like it went on forever. The closer she got to it, the bigger the hole grew. Her senses were tingling with the crackle of youki she sensed coming from the hole. Finally, she got within fifty feet of it just as it finished growing. Kagome stopped and notched an arrow in her bow, aiming at the center of the opening just as the first wave of youkai exploded from it. As she let the arrow fly, she watched in wonder as her reiki infused itself into her arrow from her fingertips; as it soared through the air, it grew to a blinding pink that seemed to explode when it hit its target. Two youkai were purified completely upon impact, and two more, one on either side of them, lost half of their bodies as well. The youkai kept pouring from the portal, however, and Kagome notched another arrow.

* * *

Kurama and Hiei got onto the beach just as the youkai started coming through. They were over 300 feet away still when Kurama noticed a girl standing right in front of the bloodthirsty demons. He couldn't tell what she was doing as he saw her from the back, but realized it was the same girl he'd been following just the other day. Immediately, he sent out his youki to some bushes growing on the edge of the woods. Instantly, its branches came to life and shot towards the girl with the intent of grabbing her out of harm's way. Right before they got to her, however, something that looked like a flaming pink arrow seemingly flew from the girl's hands and disintegrated the youkai in the center of the group. At the same time, a similar pink flame appeared around the girl, glowing as if it were her aura; the branches of the bush started sizzling when they made contact, and retreated quickly. 

Kurama didn't have time for this to register completely, however, since he was promptly punched in the face, as well as Hiei. Both youkai were momentarily stunned and disoriented from the sheer force and passion of the blow, and their attacker instantly turned towards the girl and started running. They could hear him calling to her as they regained their composure and also started running, readying their weapons for the inevitable battle. Deciding to worry about the Makai situation first, they didn't pursue their attacker as they followed on his heels. Besides, as they drew closer, they saw that he, at least, wasn't on the side of the Makai escapees, either, since he was helping to kill them as well.

Kurama and Hiei nodded to each other once before heading straight into the fray, slashing at any youkai they could get their weapons near. Kurama's Rose Whip twirled and snapped in its rhythmic dance of thorns and blood. Hiei's katana flashed and slashed its enemies to pieces. The heavy whoosh of the steel slicing through the thick air before it met with flesh and bone was music to Hiei's ears. His red eyes seemed to glow in the dark from his sheer pleasure as he took out several youkai in a matter of seconds and quickly moved ahead more into the next wave.

The kitsune and fire apparition soon were joined by their fellow Detectives and knew they were fighting side-by-side. It was when they noticed that the four of them, plus Inuyasha, weren't the only ones fighting that they truly started to pay attention to anything other than the hordes trying desperately to break into Ningenkai to wreak havoc.

* * *

When Yuusuke had seen Kagome stop in front of the ruptured barrier, he had been inexplicably frozen in place, unable to do more than stare at her dumbly. He watched as Kurama and Hiei ran towards her, only able to gasp when he saw her flaming arrow and aura and their effects. He was finally able to will his body to move when he saw Inuyasha knock down Kurama and Hiei before running after Kagome, and was quickly joined by Kuwabara as he was running after Inuyasha. 

He called to Kuwabara to get Kagome out of there before he, himself, joined his other two friends in battle. Blasts of his Rei Gun took out many of the growling, drooling, grotesque minion youkai. They ranged from E to C class, and were a challenge in number alone. The youkai just kept on coming and Yuusuke began to wonder if he and his friends had enough stamina to last through all the youkai that must've been waiting to come through the portal after the others. He was soon rejoined by Kuwabara and they each watched each other's back as they blasted and sliced their way through the demons.

Yuusuke soon realized that Kagome was still in the same area as them, though she was no longer standing in the same place. He looked towards the girl to see her aura flaring as she loosed arrow after arrow of flaming pink towards gnashing, clawing demons. He didn't have time to gawk, even as he saw Inuyasha spring into the air near the girl and cry the name of a special move before tearing several of Kagome's still-whole attackers into bits with his… _'Claws?'_ because he and Kuwabara were soon surrounded and unable to see anything but the ugly faces of their enemies for the few minutes it took to defeat them all. He and Kuwabara could barely make out the sound of his fellow Tantei, or Inuyasha and Kagome, over the screech still emanating from the still-active portal; or the growls, roars and screams of the youkai that had made it through already. They paid it no mind as they put all their effort into their fighting.

* * *

Inuyasha ran full-force towards Kagome, ignoring the boy chasing after him and barely registering the form of Yuusuke as he passed where he was, frozen on his knees in the sand. He was briefly worried as he saw Kagome make no move to get away from the youkai, but felt great relief as she loosed her hamaya. That's when he saw it; the sneak attack. Just like the other day, a distraction was being used in order to kidnap Kagome. This time, however, the distraction was being used on the girl herself so she wouldn't be able to protect herself from what was sneaking up behind her. He cheered his best friend inwardly when he saw the branches retreat in pain from the touch of her reiki, and quickly knocked out two human-looking youkai, one of which smelled like the fox from the day before. He had to delay killing them off, however, when he smelled more youkai coming through the hole, aiming right for Kagome. Inuyasha ran towards the masses yelling Kagome's name, claws bared, ready to defend his best friend and keep her safe.

* * *

Kuwabara went to help Kagome get away as soon as Yuusuke told him to. The girl was standing fearlessly in front of the hole in the barrier, an arrow readied in the bow she'd had with her for the beach party. He had to admit, the girl had balls, but that wouldn't make a party prop anymore deadly. This girl had no idea how foolish she was being. As he came up to her, he prepared to scoop her up and run like hell towards the hotel, since he sensed that she would not go easily. He stopped short, however, as he watched her scream at Inuyasha, pulling back on her bow string and letting a bright pink arrow fly as her aura also glowed. It hit a youkai that had been about to attack the silver-haired boy from behind, and purified the villain from existence. Immediately realizing she must be the very reiki user they'd been looking for, right under their noses no less, he went to find Yuusuke to tell him. The urgency of the need to dispatch of the youkai, however, quickly pushed those thoughts out of his head as he dove into battle head-on.

* * *

Kagome heard Inuyasha scream her name and looked towards him right after she let her second arrow fly into the swarming youkai. "I'm okay, Inuyasha! We have to get rid of these things before they get away into my world, though!" 

Inuyasha didn't like the idea of her fighting against all these demons with him, but he'd seen enough in the past few days to realize she could at least hold her own fighting beside him. He nodded as he leapt towards the advancing youkai, using his Sankontessou to shred them to pieces. He kept his eyes constantly surveying the situation, in order to not let Kagome get hurt or kidnapped again. He was a bit shocked, to say the least, when he saw the two youkai he had knocked out join the fight… on **_his_** side! He was even more surprised when Kagome's new ningen friends joined in as well, and seemed to be using reiki in ways similar to Kagome's hamaya… theirs, however, were weapons created from reiki, rather than infused with it.

Suddenly, Inuyasha heard Kagome scream his name and he had just enough time to duck out of the way as her arrow sailed over him and into the youkai that had planned to attack him while he was distracted watching the Spirit Detectives. Quickly focusing back on the fight, Inuyasha leapt towards another group of youkai that were trying to attack Kagome, shredding them like paper with his sharp claws.

The fight continued in this manner for at least twenty minutes. Kurama used his Rose Whip's many attacks, Hiei sliced and diced with his katana, Yuusuke blasted his Rei Gun, and Kuwabara used his Double Rei Ken against the still-growing swarm of demons. Inuyasha kept attacking with his claws, as he'd finally become used to the rule of not using his Tetsusaiga. Kagome let loose arrow after arrow until she had none left, feeling the power within her bubble forth and finally realizing how much she had to unlock from within.

* * *

When her weapons were gone, Kagome's instincts took over. She felt as if she was watching herself from above her body as her raw energy erupted like a volcano. Kagome's feet seemed to move of their own free will as she ran head-on towards the charging youkai. She watched her pink aura deepen to purple and shoot from her body in all directions, purifying any youkai nearby that her reiki felt was a threat. She saw the purifying energy actually weave its way around Inuyasha and the two other human-looking youkai she had noticed fighting earlier, leaving them all unharmed. Kagome was further surprised to see that her two new human friends were fighting with reiki as well, though they seemed to have actual control over theirs, unlike her. She had no time to dwell on those thoughts, however, as she grew to realize that no matter how many youkai they took out, they just kept pouring from that strange opening in the sky. 

She looked back at Inuyasha, still fighting with his claws, and realized their only chance to win this thing before it got more out of hand. Kagome drew a breath and raised her voice as loud as she could over the deafening battle, in order for the hanyou to hear her.

* * *

Inuyasha felt the flash of energy pass him when Kagome's purifying sweep shot past him, crackling and sizzling as it turned youkai to dust around him. He chanced a glance at her and was met with the now-familiar purple glow of her eyes as her reiki took over her body. He could tell she was still aware of her surroundings, though, and no longer worried over it since he realized Kagome's body was finally getting used to its new powers. He suspected it had something to do with her newly-complete soul. 

Even as Inuyasha thought all this, he kept fighting, moving ahead to the new escapees after Kagome's wave killed off the stragglers. When he heard Kagome yell his name, he turned to look back at her. She was running towards him.

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha! We have to take them out all at once, even that portal thing they're using. You have to use the Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha!"

He didn't have to be told twice. He'd been itching to draw his sword for almost a week now, and he finally had permission to do so once again. Drawing the demon fang, he swept his eyes over the scene to see where his fellow fighters were. They were all relatively close to his target and he wasn't sure how he could get all four of them out of harm's way quickly enough. Kagome had the answer, however. She stood in front of him protectively, and focused all her will on leaving Inuyasha unharmed. She then sent out a mild blast that shot straight out from her, separating Kurama and Hiei from Yuusuke and Kuwabara before fanning out and producing a shockwave that sent all four boys flying out of harm's way to the right and left of her reiki blast.

Inuyasha smirked his approval and stepped in front of the miko, telling her to get back as well. Taking aim towards the black hole that more youkai were already coming back out of, he raised Tetsusaiga straight out in front of him, watching the aura of the Kaze no Kizu swirl around the fang-blade. He swept it back and brought it down in front of himself again with all his might as he called out the name of his faithful sword attack. The fire of the Kaze no Kizu split the ground along its tracks as it raced towards the youkai and their portal. It burned through them completely and kept going, seeming to climb the very bodies it burned in order to make its way up and into the black hole. As the flames disappeared into the portal, it wavered and started to shrink back down, even as it looked like it was trying desperately to stay open. The sparks of electric-like youki that seemed to have held it open died down to almost nothing as the hole got smaller and smaller. At last, with a final hiss of protest, it closed completely, leaving only the hundreds of scattered bloody youkai parts as proof that the portal had ever opened.

Inuyasha looked back at Kagome, who was looking around at the now-unconscious Spirit Detectives, wondering what to make of them. She wasn't sure if they could trust them, even if they had helped them fight. Who knew what they were really and what their true purpose was with their powers. She looked towards Inuyasha when she felt him looking at her.

"That redhead smells like the kitsune that was following us," he seemed to answer her thoughts as he pointed to Kurama. "The little guy is a youkai as well. Those friends of yours obviously have some sort of mastery of reiki, too. I don't know if we should trust them, Kagome."

"I know, Inuyasha. I was just thinking the same thing. I don't think we can risk them finding out who you really are or where you're from." Kagome agreed.

They could hear sirens approaching in the background, and Kagome realized someone must have called the emergency line from the hotel. She turned a worried face to Inuyasha just before he scooped her up and tossed her onto his back, leaping in the opposite direction of their cabin, back towards the cliffs. He was heading back to Tokyo… back to the well… back to his time. Where it was safe.

"Kagome," he called over his shoulder to the girl.

"Hai, Inuyasha?" she answered, hanging tightly to him as he leapt swiftly over the countryside. She knew where he was headed and didn't protest. All her arguments were cleared out by the events of the night. She figured, they'd been planning to leave tomorrow anyway, and Mama could just call Juri and tell her that Kagome had to take Inuyasha back home early, and that they'd taken a train. Juri would be able to take Kagome's things back to her house when she dropped off Souta.

"What did you say "vacation" meant, again?"

Kagome giggled nervously, realizing where he was going with this. "Um… I think I said it was a break from everyday life and duties and a time to relax and have fun, so you don't get rundown by your responsibilities."

"Keh, yeah, that's what I **_thought_** you said." He made a few more large leaps after saying this. He would get them back to Tokyo three hours earlier than they would've made it by car. After about a minute, he spoke again, "Kagome?"

"Hai, Inuyasha?"

"**_This_** was **_not_** a**_ vacation_**."

End Chapter 8

* * *

Words First Appearing in Chapter Eight:

**_gomen:_** sorry

**_onna no baka: _**stupid women

**_onegai:_** please

**_inu:_** dog

**_katas:_** exercises in form and technique in karate; looks dance-like when performed; is usually used as a stretch or warm-up before karate lessons

**_sode-nashi-hanten:_** sleeveless hanten (or happi); a kimono-style, short slip-over jacket; I did a lot of searching on the net to figure out exactly what the red and white priestesses wore over their shirts, and this is my best guess

**_shikigami:_** paper gods; basically paper that is brought to "life" to use to attack someone or as a decoy; can either stay as paper, or, more commonly, take the identical form of a real person; for a better description: http : www . youkaimura . org / shikigami . htm (remove spaces)

**_hentai:_** pervert/perverted

**_Konbanwa: _**Good evening

**_Kitsune no hentai:_** perverted fox

**_Rei Gun:_** Spirit Gun

**_Rei Ken:_** Spirit Sword

* * *

**_A/N:_** Sorry this is kinda late... my computer completely crashed and, well, yeah, it was loads of fun... and now I have to type in WordPad instead of MS Word and I hate it. (sigh) So once I finally was able to use my comp again and get online, I have five snuggly reviews waiting for me! Let's thank those snuggly, snuggly reviewers, shall we? 

_**MM . org review replies:**_

**_Ryukotsusei: _**Thanks for reading and reviewing! Here's an update!

_**FF . net review replies:**_

**_Kagome-reincarnation:_** Thanks. And now all you and all the other people wondering about pairings know of two possibilities... but I'm still not telling the end pairing yet... MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

**_YoukoLover:_** Yeah, Youko is goin' kinda nutty I guess. lol... I'm not thinking of it as him losing control, though, rather trying to gain control... over Kurama's body... so he can get some. He is a sexual being after all, and should not be denied his needs! lol... well, maybe that's just me...

**_montrith:_** Ah, sorry for the tease...lol.. I loved doing it, though and I guess this chapter is kinda a tease as well, maybe... Glad to know I threw you off with the female villain... twas what I was hoping for... and it's nice to get someone wondering about something other than the pairing for once... lol (even though you mentioned the pairing as well : P) Just have patience and things will start becoming more clear soon... I think...

**_AnimeMoonlightGoddess:_** Well, here's an update, enjoy!

* * *

R and R! 


	10. Aftermath

Unexpected Ally

Disclaimer: YYH belongs to Yoshihiro Tagashi; IY belongs to Rumiko Takahashi; Unfortunately, I am neither one of them. Pity me!

Chapter 9: Aftermath

Yuusuke was just about to fire his Rei Gun again, when he saw a wall of bright pink energy flash out towards him and Kuwabara, sending them flying back. As he was thrown behind Kagome and Inuyasha, he watched Inuyasha's Kaze no Kizu completely obliterate the youkai and the portal in the barrier. His eyes went wide as he watched, and he planned on running up to the two people he'd just met and demanding answers as to their powers and what their plans were, but was too engrossed in watching them to remember to break his fall. He landed hard and his head cracked on a large branch of driftwood that lay on the shore, knocking him out. Kuwabara was subject to the same consequences, landing beside Yuusuke.

Kurama and Hiei had been thrown in the opposite direction from Yuusuke and Kuwabara, and had landed just inside the line of trees that began the woods. They had been instantly knocked out by the reiki, even before they hit the ground, however. Kagome had been able to control it just enough so that it wouldn't purify them, but it had still gotten close enough to affect them and they had lost consciousness.

* * *

There hadn't been room in her castle-like cave to gather all of the youkai for the attack, so the forest had been the only other option for privacy's sake. She had long ago heard the tales that were told about her forest and had laughed at how accurate they were, even after all this time; only changing a bit and losing details in the passage of the story through time. She had been able to reinforce the superstitions of the story over the years, strengthening the general fear of her forest and guaranteeing that it would always be a private place for herself and her servants. 

As the Kaze no Kizu ripped into the portal, our villain watched from the safety of her lair in Makai. A slight look of concern came into her facial features as she watched the reflection of the boy she called her son be blown back from the force of the attack on his portal. She actually let herself slip and called out, "Nar-kun!" before regaining her composure and sending a couple minions to get him from where he'd opened the portal in the forest. When they returned, she had them take him to his room immediately to be cleaned up and have his wounds dressed. He would need time to heal now before they could move on to Plan B.

Plan B had to run smoothly; it was their last option. And her "Nar-kun" was needed in perfect condition to pull it off. She hadn't expected her loss on the beach to be so utterly devastating; she had expected to at least come away with a captive Kagome. Sighing in frustration, the villain hurried down the halls to his room, determined to do her best to help him heal quickly. She patted the obi of her kimono before entering his room. Within it, beside her other most coveted item, was the exact thing the boy needed right now. It was a piece of the prize they sought; a few shards of the Legendary Shikon no Tama.

* * *

"Itai," Kurama pushed himself up onto his knees with one hand, the other hand holding his aching head. He had landed face first next to the path in the woods, and had hit his head on a smooth rock, earning a bump but nothing worse. 

'**_What the hell was that?'_**

He looked to his left to see Hiei sitting up as well.

'_That… was reiki, but I've never seen it used like that before.' _Kurama answered his friend.

'_How could that onna no ningen have such power! Enough to even knock Kurama and me unconscious?' _Hiei thought to himself. **_'Where's the girl? _**He said, speaking into Kurama's mind once again.

Kurama and Hiei scanned the beach looking for her, but all they saw was the blood and remains of the hundreds of youkai that had been swarming the beach; and Yuusuke and Kuwabara as the two boys also started waking back up.

'_Did she do this as well? Who is this onna?'_ Hiei wondered to himself, narrowing his red eyes and furrowing his brow. '**_More importantly, where's the portal, and what happened to all those youkai?' _**he added, speaking into Kurama's mind again.

Kurama seemed not to hear him as he listened intently to something else. The sirens in the distance were getting closer and all four boys looked at each other from across the sand as they realized they had better get out of there before they could be asked any questions.

'_Damn, she's gone. We'd better get going. Maybe we can still track her down.' _Kurama thought.

_(I told you finding her was important, Kurama.)_ Youko couldn't resist putting his 'I told you so' remark in.

'**_What are you rambling about, fox?'_**

_(That was the girl; our girl. Now there is no excuse for not looking for her; she is the answer to your assignment.)_ Youko smirked.

'**_You're still intending to pursue her? You do know she could purify you out of existence?'_**

_(Even better. What fun is the chase without a little danger? Besides, she could have purified us the whole time we were fighting, but when she did that blast, she obviously focused on** not** harming us.) _Youko proclaimed.

Hiei rolled his eyes at the silver kitsune.

"Anybody seen Kagome?" Yuusuke asked as he and Kuwabara approached Kurama and Hiei. They looked up at him questioningly. "Oh, that's right; you didn't get to meet her. Well, she was that girl using the reiki. We were at the beach party with her and her friends. One of her friends was that silver-haired guy, Inuyasha. You two see either of them?"

Hiei was startled by the familiar name. "Did you say 'Inuyasha'?"

"Yeah, that was his name alright. He's the one that used that giant sword to kill the youkai and close the portal." Yuusuke answered

The two youkai looked confused, and explained that they hadn't seen what happened when the reiki knocked them out. Yuusuke told them what he and Kuwabara had seen of the Kaze no Kizu, though he wasn't sure if that was what the silver-haired boy had actually screamed when he did the attack.

"The other day, in the woods, the girls that were chasing me met another girl who was talking about being here with someone named Inuyasha." All three boys looked at the hybrid at this revelation. Surprisingly, he continued, "Now that I think about it, she had that same inu smell from that night on the cliff. Kurama said he noticed her the other day, also, before he and Kuwabara went after the youkai that was loose."

"Is that true, Kurama?" Kuwabara asked.

"Hai, Kuwabara-kun, she was who I was looking for when I left our table the first time. Something about her drew me to follow her… and now Youko has a fascination with her." The last part was said low so that only Hiei actually heard the confession. The Jaganshi snickered into his friend's mind, a growl of annoyance sounding back into Hiei's own thoughts from both the redhead and the silver-haired fox.

"Okay, so we all have at least seen the girl that we've been looking for all this time, and Kuwabara and I spent most of the night near her, yet none of us realized she had all that reiki? Plus, Inuyasha obviously has some sort of powers, considering how he was fighting and the power of his sword; but no one sensed anything from him, either. How does that work? I mean, my Spirit Awareness sucks, but the rest of you are supposed to be really good about sensing those things!"

"I didn't sense anything from her until she **_used_** her reiki, Yuusuke." Kuwabara answered.

"Yes, I didn't sense anything from her in the woods the other day, or as we approached her on the beach tonight. Only when she actually used her power did I sense anything."

"Hai, same here." Kurama agreed. "Also, I noticed that her reiki seems to work as an automatic self-defense. I don't even think she was aware of the branches I sent after her, but her reiki instantly kept them from touching her."

"What about Inuyasha, though? Did anyone sense anything from him? Reiki; youki; anything?" Yuusuke demanded. Everyone looked contemplative as they shook their heads 'no'.

"Uh, guys, this is all real important and all, but I think we'd better go before the cops actually get on the beach, y'know?" Kuwabara interrupted the discussion.

"He's right. Let's go." Hiei agreed, leaping up and disappearing in the direction of their hotel. The others followed, making it to the front of the hotel just as the beach was swarmed with every kind of emergency worker you could possibly think of. Briefly, the thought of what their reaction would be to the carnage on the beach crossed the minds of all four boys.

"We'll need to inform Botan and Koenma of this so their memories can be modified." Kurama answered everyone's thoughts.

* * *

"Wow, Kagome-chan was who you were looking for all this time?" Keiko exclaimed after hearing what had happened after she left the beach. 

"Yeah, weird, ne?" Yuusuke answered, "Anyway, we need to find her again, 'cause she ran off while we were knocked out. Do you know where she's staying?"

"Iie… Maybe her friends do, but I lost them in the crowd that was filling up the lobby."

"She must be staying in those cabins in the woods, since I saw her coming from that direction when she was on the path the other day." Hiei thought aloud.

"Okay, we'll go look around the beach and the cabins. Maybe Kurama can pick up Inuyasha or Kagome's scent from the beach and track them that way. Keiko: you, Botan and Shizuru look for those other girls in the lobby. We'll meet you back here in two hours if we don't find her before then."

As the girls exited the room, Botan said to Keiko, "Wow, I guess you're actually the one that found her, huh? If it wasn't for you, we'd never have met her, and Yuusuke and Kuwabara-kun wouldn't have even been on the beach tonight."

Keiko laughed shyly, "Hai, I guess so. It's so cool that she has all that power. No wonder she's a shrine maiden."

"Shrine maiden?" the ferry-girl questioned.

"She told me she lives at a shrine with her Grandfather."

The wheels in Botan's head began spinning a bit faster as she formed a theory, but she said nothing. She would check out her suspicions as soon as she got back to Reikai.

* * *

"You still haven't picked anything up, Kurama?" Yuusuke asked the kitsune-boy. 

"I'm sorry, Yuusuke, the inu scent was faint to begin with. Trying to find it an hour after its owner disappeared is a bit difficult, even if I hadn't been thrown off by all the blood on the beach."

Yuusuke grumbled; the other two boys merely followed Kurama quietly. They had contacted Koenma before leaving their hotel room, and the scene of the night's battle was currently being cleaned up by Reikai workers, while others (those that looked relatively human) were keeping the area secure from humans and modifying the memories of those that had seen anything that had happened. Kurama had first tried to pick up Kagome or Inuyasha's scent from the area, but had merely gotten a head rush from the heavy scent of blood still thick in the air. So they had moved their search immediately to the woods as soon as Kurama got a grip back on his senses.

**_'Why is there no youki to follow? That Inuyasha was obviously a youkai. He was fighting with claws and his jumping abilities were in no way human. Then there's that sword Yuusuke and Kuwabara saw him use.'_**

_'Youko can't even answer that question for me, Hiei. I expect we won't get any real answers until we find Kagome.'_

_(Yes, once we find our Kagome, she will be answering many questions for us.)_

_**'Fox, will you focus already? I think you're distracting yourself too much and that's why you haven't found the scent yet.'**_

_(We are paying perfect attention to our duties, hybrid.)_

_'You know, Youko, maybe he's… wait!'_

_(Ah, there, finally!) Youko exclaimed. _

Kurama paused in his stride to get a better sniff. It was very faint, but it was there nonetheless.

Yuusuke noticed his friend's actions. "You find it?"

Kurama nodded and took off after the scent trail. It led them straight down the main path to the cabins, then taking turns here and there around other cabins and tents until finally becoming the most concentrated around one of the biggest cabins at the back of the woods. In the darkness of the forest, a sliver of moonlight made it through a break in the canopy, illuminating a silver van parked near the cabin. Hiei immediately recognized the van.

* * *

"…so, Souta, make sure no one tells them where we live, okay? I don't want to chance you, Mama or Jii-chan being in danger while I'm gone. Just act like you don't know us at all." 

"Hai, okay, nee-chan. You told Juri-san, too, right?"

"Hai, hai."

"Okay, I'll keep the secret for you and Inu-no-nii-chan."

"Arigatou, Souta."

The two siblings said goodbye and hung up the phone. Kagome repacked her trusty yellow backpack, and said goodbye to her mother and grandfather, before hopping down the well with Inuyasha.

* * *

"So, she told you, too?" Juri asked as Souta hung the phone up. 

"Hai, she wants us to make sure her friends from school don't tell them, either."

"Do you know what the deal is with these guys that are going to come looking for her?"

"Iie, Juri-san, Kagome-nee-chan didn't say; she just said to make sure they don't find out we know her, or where we live." The boy lied. Well, he couldn't exactly tell her the truth: that his sister was a time-leaping miko, Inuyasha was a youkai from the Sengoku Jidai, and they were running from two youkai and two ningen with strong reiki that had seen them use their powers.

"I worry about the kind of trouble your sister has started getting into since I haven't been able to be around lately."

"Nani?"

"I've heard all about how much school she's been missing, and how she always has one illness or another as her excuse. She looks perfectly healthy to me, though. Her grades at school have been slipping since last school year, she's got that bleached, long-haired Inuyasha guy as a boyfriend, and now she's running away during her summer break to hide from some guys they met on the beach? Your sister must be getting herself in deep trouble lately."

Souta twiddled his fingers nervously. Juri could ruin everything if she got anymore suspicious now. He tried to think of something to say quickly, before she saw his nervousness and hesitation. "Oh, but she **_has_** been very sick, Juri-san. This is the best she's been in awhile. That's why Mama wanted to make especially sure that she got to have a real vacation this summer since she's been feeling so awful." He mentally patted himself on the back for that.

Juri looked at the boy suspiciously a few more moments, but turned away with a sigh when she decided it was no use trying to get anymore information out of Souta. "Okay, Souta-kun. Well, why don't you go tell the other boys about the gag order while I call Kagome-chan's friends and inform them of the situation?"

"Okay, Juri-san!" The boy agreed, and scurried off to find his friends, who were playing a trading card game in the living room.

Juri made the phone call to Eri, who relayed the message to her three other companions without question. Just as Juri hung up the phone, there was a knock at the door.

* * *

"That's it? Just 'don't tell them where Kagome-chan lives'? She was awfully friendly with them before. Why all the secretiveness now?" Yuka demanded to know. 

"I have no idea, Yuka, but that's Kagome-chan's request. It seemed very important, especially since Juri-san called to tell us, so I think we should follow it."

"Fine, but I still don't like this. She just ran off with that possessive guy in the middle of her date with Houjou-kun! She didn't even bother staying with us when all that weird stuff started going on down the beach."

"Yeah, that was kinda weird, you have to admit." Ayumi agreed.

"Okay, you're right about that, but I still think we should respect Kagome-chan's wishes. We don't know those people well enough to give out information on our friend, anyway." Eri reasoned.

Yuka nodded, "Yeah, you're right. I just wish I knew what was going on with Kagome-chan lately. She seems to grow more and more distant and doesn't seem to be thinking about her future. I mean, honestly, she barely comes to school and when she does it barely makes a difference; in fact I heard some rumors going around, while I had office duty at school, concerning her poor attendance and grade point average. Plus, not wanting to date Houjou-kun and choosing to pine after that two-timing Inuyasha; she can't be in her right mind!"

The three girls' faces were filled with concern as they continued to discuss their wayward friend. They would need to have a serious discussion with her as soon as they saw her back at school.

* * *

Hiei frowned at his friends as they walked up to the door of the cabin. Yuusuke saw him hanging back and called to him over his shoulder, "C'mon, Hiei, it's not exactly like we can just bust in, weapons bared, demanding the girl." 

"Sure it is. She's the whole reason for this assignment and has no choice about coming with us. She may even be connected to the Makai breakouts; she didn't seem surprised at all by the attack on the beach, you know. There is no other option for her besides coming with us for questioning."

"True, Hiei, we do need the information from her," Kurama agreed, "and she really has no choice, but we can still make it seem like she does. It may be easier to get her to cooperate if she believes she's making her own decision."

"Exactly, Kurama." Yuusuke nodded in agreement.

"That's awfully dishonest," Kuwabara remarked, shaking his head.

"Okay, Kuwabara," Yuusuke challenged, "What would you suggest then? We have to get her to come with us no matter what. You don't think it'd be easier to get answers from her if she believes she's in control of her own situation?"

"Fine, I guess you're right, Urameshi." The orange-haired boy conceded, adding under his breath, "That doesn't mean I hafta like it, though."

Finally, discussion done, all four boys stepped onto the covered porch and knocked on the door of the cabin Kurama had led them to. The cabin with the same silver van Hiei had seen from the cliff a few days before.

* * *

'_That was fast.'_ Juri thought to herself as she opened the door to four teenage boys; two with dark hair, two with red hair. _'Kagome-chan called us just in time, it seems.'_

"Can I help you?" she asked them, a bit of annoyance in her voice.

"Konbanwa, we were wondering if a Higurashi Kagome is staying here." The long-haired redhead asked.

'_I was right, it's them!'_ she exclaimed silently to herself.

"Ano… Higurashi Kagome? Iie." She replied coolly.

"Are you sure, ma'am? We were certain this was the cabin she was in." he asked again.

"Hai, I'm positive. We've been here five days. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get my brothers to bed." She replied swiftly, slamming the door shut and locking it.

She quickly busied herself with putting the boys to bed, and soon she was back in her room, studying in the peace of the night. Tomorrow would be a busy day since Kagome wouldn't be there to help pack things up.

'_Oh well,' _she thought_, 'those boys better be ready to get their asses in gear tomorrow. I am **not** doing this shit on my own.'_

She went to sleep less than an hour later, around midnight. Normally, she would've been up until at least two, if not later, but tonight sleep was definitely needed.

* * *

"Do you agree with my methods now?" The Jaganshi asked his companions as they walked away from the cabin. "She was obviously lying. I didn't even need the Jagan to see that!" 

"We still aren't breaking in, Hiei. These are humans, and we're in Ningenkai, we can't go exposing ourselves like that." Yuusuke replied.

"Hn." Hiei scowled and ran off on his own.

"Hiei!" Yuusuke called after him, worried about what he may do.

_(Ha!)_ Youko snickered, _(Our fiery little friend is still upset that our Kagome got the better of him, Kurama.)_

'_You do remember we were affected by her reiki as well, ne Youko?'_

_(I believe you already know my position on the subject, kit.)_

_'This is not the time, Youko.'_ Kurama gritted out, knowing full well where the kitsune was headed on the subject if he let him continue. He didn't particularly feel now to be the best time for his head to be filled with pornographic images.

_(Oh, you are no fun, Kurama.)_ Youko complained in an affected whine, crossing his arms within their combined consciousness to keep up the act. He said no more, however.

"Don't worry," Kurama said aloud calmly, addressing Yuusuke, "He won't go back there. He just needs some space and he'll come back on his own."

Yuusuke didn't need to reply; both boys knew it was true.

Kuwabara didn't hear the conversation. It simply fluttered in the air a bit before floating past him, unnoticed, as he lost himself in his own thoughts. He had definitely felt residual reiki coming from that cabin, but he had also been able to sense that the owner of it was not there and hadn't been for awhile. The other girl staying there had known to cover for Kagome, however, so she had most likely called the cabin from elsewhere in order to warn the other girl. That meant that she would probably not be returning at all. The people that could tell them where she was, and how to find her, were unwilling to cooperate. They were running out of options.

Suddenly, Kuwabara interrupted whatever Yuusuke and Kurama were talking about to exclaim, "We need to talk to Koenma!"

* * *

The three boys returned to their hotel room to find it already occupied by four other people. Botan, Shizuru and Keiko had returned to the room to wait for them, and Hiei had already come back as well. 

"Sorry Yuusuke," Botan said right away, "We couldn't find those girls."

"Eh, it's okay, Botan. They probably wouldn't have told us anything anyway." Yuusuke replied moodily.

"Why not?" Keiko asked.

"We found the place she was staying, but they wouldn't tell us anything. In fact, they completely denied that she was staying there, even though Kurama sniffed 'em out."

Botan turned her gaze in the direction of the window where Hiei was sitting, "Oh, is that what happened? Hiei wouldn't tell us anything. No wonder, he must be brooding."

The spiky-haired youkai cast his scowl on the blue-haired girl before closing himself in his room.

Botan paid no mind to the fire apparition as she spoke again, "Well, I guess I'd better go give Koenma-sama an update."

"Hold it, Botan; I have a few questions for Koenma. I want to go with you."

"Nani? You have questions for Koenma-sama, Kuwa-chan?"

"Yeah, Botan. A few things don't make sense to me and I wanna see if the shrimp can explain some stuff to me."

"What things?"

"Well, for one, how someone with that much reiki could be able to hide it when it's not in use? How could a person like that exist without Reikai having constant tabs on them? Especially when they seem to fight youkai the same as we do, even though Inuyasha is probably a youkai as well."

Suddenly, Kurama spoke up, "Botan, I seem to recall you saying before that you thought Koenma knew more than he was letting on. What causes your suspicions?"

Botan grew a little nervous. _'Should I tell them?'_ she wondered. _'They will most likely find out eventually, so I might as well tell them, right?'_

Making her decision, she finally spoke, "Well, I'm not sure, but it just seemed like Koenma-sama wasn't telling me everything when he informed me of the reiki situation. I felt like he knew something that he wasn't telling me. And after something Keiko-chan told me today, I think I may have an idea of what that may be, though I still don't know all the details even if my assumptions are correct."

"Something I told you, Botan-san? What's that?" Keiko asked.

"Remember how you told me that Kagome-chan said she lived in a shrine?" Botan asked her. The girl nodded, and Botan continued, "Well, when the reiki was first picked up in Ningenkai, it was detected in the area of a Shinto Shrine in Tokyo. Koenma-sama sent investigators out to check out the priest of the shrine, but he was found to have extremely low levels of reiki, so we figured the shrine's own reiki was interfering with pinpointing the other reiki. Now I wonder if Kagome-chan might be from that same shrine, and that's the actual reason we couldn't pinpoint it. If that's the case, there should be some record of her powers somewhere in Reikai, yet we were completely caught off guard when she showed up on the monitors. It makes me wonder how much Koenma-sama might be keeping from us."

Kurama waited to make sure she was done speaking before he responded, "This information, alone, gives me cause for the same suspicions. Please take us to Koenma so we can get some answers."

A soft click and creak of a door opening was all that alerted them to Hiei's renewed presence before he spoke. "Yes, onna, take us to him." He was leaning against the frame of the open door, arms crossed, and a glare fixed to his face that threatened bodily harm if she should refuse.

Yuusuke and Kuwabara were staring at the girl expectantly now as well.

Botan started sweating bullets under the pressure that seemed to suddenly surround her. She looked to her fellow females for support, but found, instead, twin looks of pure curiosity. Shizuru and Keiko would insist on information being made available, as well. There was no use trying to get out of it, now. It would only delay the inevitable.

"Fine." She agreed finally, "Let's go talk to Koenma-sama." Quickly, she transported all four boys to the Reikai offices.

End Chapter 9

* * *

Words First Appearing in Chapter Nine:

**_itai:_** ow, ouch, etc.

**_iie:_** no

**_Jii-chan:_** Grandpa

**_Kagome-nee-chan:_** sister Kagome

**_nani:_** what

**_ano:_** um, uh, well, etc; used in speech to slow down a conversation so you can think

* * *

**_A/N:_** Gomen nasai! It's been sooo long, I know! Well, both I and one of my betas had some more computer problems(and the other one just wasn't on for awhile), plus a friend of mine took his own life a couple weeks ago and I just didn't feel like writing. I'm sure you can understand. So, anyway, here's an update finally. Enjoy! 

_**MM . org review replies:**_

**_Ryukotsusei:_** Glad you liked the last chapter so much. Hope I didn't disappoint! Thanks again for being a loyal reviewer!

**_tbiris:_** LOL, yeah, definitely not a vacation. Thanks for the review.

_**FF . net review replies:**_

**_Kagome-reincarnation:_** Erm… sorry! Gotta end somewhere, though. : P Afterall, twas already 35 pages long! LOL Glad you liked the "not a vacation" part, and thanks for reviewing.

**_montrith:_** Damn… where to even begin…! First off, I just hafta say that I LOVE your reviews.. I swear they get longer everytime and I looooove that! And I totally agree with your views on the Inu/Kags friendship thing; even if you have an alternate pairing, it should not start off with Inuyasha trying to kill Kags! She really is his first real friend, and he wouldn't forget that so easily. Also, I'm glad you seemed to like that everyone got their part in the fight scene. I love fics where Kagome can kick some ass.

**_AnimeMoonlightGoddess:_** Heheheh.. I think you're the third reviewer that mentioned the "not a vacation" part. Good, I hoped you guys would like that. The whole "No Vacation" title for the last three chapters was originally planned because I wanted to use that line. Thanks for reviewing, hope you keep coming back!

**_Black-haired-inuyash:_** Sorry it took so long, here's the update! Thanks for reviewing!

**_Ookami666:_** Wow, one of the best IY/YYH crossovers you've read? Coolzies! Thankies! And, yes, the lack of many reviews is a bit irritating, but the reviews/reviewers I do have I'm so grateful for! I loved your review as well! Here's an update.

**_pitbull123:_** Wow, awesome? Really? Sweet! Glad you liked it, thanks for reviewing.

_**E-mail review replies:**_

**_pantalaimonjava:_** Not sure if you reviewed already under a different name, but thanks for your e-mail. Glad you love it, and I'll make sure to let you know when I update my fics.

* * *

Please Read and Review! 


	11. Koenma Comes Clean

Disclaimer: YYH belongs to Yoshihiro Tagashi; IY belongs to Rumiko Takahashi; I'm neither, pity me!

Unexpected Ally

Chapter 10: Koenma Comes Clean

Short, stubby fingers massaged the temples of a chibi face, trying desperately to alleviate the pressure that was building between them. A pacifier hid the twist of the scowl behind it. Suddenly, the pacifier moved as the mouth began to speak. "If you will all, **_please_**, stop talking for a minute," the Junior Ruler of Reikai slammed his balled fists onto the top of his desk to get the group's attention, "I will tell you what you need to know!"

Hiei and Kurama immediately gave their attention to Koenma at the promise of information. Botan used her oar to gently encourage Kuwabara and Yuusuke to follow their friends' example.

SMACK! CRACK!

"Oi, Botan!" both boys cried out, rubbing their heads.

"Pay attention," she replied as nonchalantly as if she had merely tapped them on the shoulder with a finger.

"Alright! Jeez, Botan, you couldn't think of any other way to get my attention?" Yuusuke complained.

The girl merely shrugged and returned her attention to Koenma.

Deciding to drop it, Yuusuke turned to the Junior Ruler as well. "So, you gonna tell us or what, toddler?"

"As soon as you're quiet, I'll tell you!" he paused to take a breath, and grew angry as he realized something. "And don't call me 'toddler'!" he shouted, his face growing red as he shook his fist up at the taller boy.

"Koenma-sama, please continue!" Botan pleaded cheerily.

"Certainly, Botan. How shall I begin, though?"

Hiei spoke first, "Why was there a youkai in Ningenkai that we couldn't sense, and could barely smell enough to register it as anything other than a common dog?"

"Hiei, I'm sorry, but that is one of the few questions I have absolutely no answer for."

"One of the few questions you **_don't_** have an answer for? Meaning there are more questions you **_do_** know the answer to?" Yuusuke demanded.

"Well, I have theories, Yuusuke. That's why I put you on the case: to see if you could prove my theories without me telling them to you first. It looks like you may have, but we still need a confirmation." Koenma answered.

"Eh? What're you babblin' about?" Yuusuke grumbled.

"Just ask me a question about something concerning your suspicions for your case, and I'll answer with either my knowledge or my theory to see if I'm correct."

Yuusuke looked puzzled as he scratched his chin.

"Oh, for Kami-sama's sake!" Botan growled irritably. "Just ask him what you want to know!"

"Okay, Shrimpo, I got a question," Kuwabara spoke up, "Why can we only detect Kagome-chan's reiki when it's in use?"

"I'm sorry, Kuwabara, that is another question I simply don't have any ideas about yet." Koenma mumbled around his pacifier.

Kurama stepped forward casually and asked, "With how strong her reiki is, why was she never detected before?"

"Ah, yes Kurama, well my theory about that is that perhaps she hadn't realized her powers until recently. As I'm sure all of you are well aware, life gets a bit more stressful during adolescence. Perhaps that was a catalyst in bringing her powers out of dormancy. This is just a theory that you four will still need to investigate, of course."

"Of course," Botan agreed through teeth clenched in a fake smile. If Koenma didn't give them real answers soon, she worried for her boss' health. Yuusuke was already starting to twitch, and was clenching and unclenching his fists as if he'd like to strangle the childlike ruler.

"No matter what the reason may be that we can't sense her powers, the fact still remains that she has them. Don't you keep track of that sort of thing here? I mean, that **_is_** your job, right?" Hiei demanded to know.

Koenma took a deep breath, contemplating his answer. He had always known it would eventually come back to haunt him; he just hadn't known it would be this soon. After all, it had only been a little over sixteen years. Usually, mistakes like that wouldn't come into the open for several centuries, long after the scandal no longer mattered. It seemed that would not be the case this time, however. He exhaled a sigh of long-suffering, coming to the conclusion that he could not avoid the issue forever.

"Perhaps you should all take a seat. George, go get some chairs for our tantei," he ordered his faithful servant. The blue oni quickly left the room and came back with an armful of five chairs stacked on top of each other. He set them down and the four tantei, plus Botan, took a seat. "Okay, everyone comfortable?"

Yuusuke had no patience left. "We're fine, would ya just get on with it!"

"Okay then." Koenma clasped his fingers together and placed his folded hands on the desk before him. "Well, you all know the recent events that occurred here in Reikai; it's been dubbed 'The Great Filing Mishap #5,126,982,456,321.'"

"What's with the random number?" Kuwabara questioned.

"Well, unfortunately, this is not the first time something like this has happened." Koenma answered lowly.

"It's not? Koenma-sama! When was this? Why don't I know about any others?" Botan questioned.

"Well, there have been quite a few incidents like this during the history of Reikai, but the worst by far was incident #5,126,982,456,320, which was a little over sixteen years ago. You had less security clearance back then, Botan, and it's our policy to keep information on these situations limited to a need-to-know basis." Koenma answered the girl before continuing his explanation. "Anyway, it was a situation similar to what happened a few days ago. It started small; just a missing file for a reincarnated soul. Soon it escalated. An unstamped judgment file here; an incorrectly filed judgment there. The sloppy attempts to quickly fix the problems only seemed to cause more problems, though. Incoming souls were delayed their judgment as most of the department sorted through all the papers to separate the judged and unjudged."

"If this has happened so often, why hasn't Reikai improved its organization by now?" Hiei scoffed.

Koenma's face burned bright crimson at the accusatory tone. "Although it may seem like it's happened often enough for there to be a system to follow, unfortunately that isn't the case. And besides, these last two times were really the worst cases. All the other incidents were fixed easily according to the history books." he answered quickly before continuing his previous explanation.

"Now, as you may or may not know, the responsibility of judgment approval rests completely on my shoulders. It is my responsibility to review each individual case and decide what happens to their soul. Most ningen souls will go to one of the least severe of the seven hells to await reincarnation. Some go to the deeper levels along with the youkai, and are either sentenced to wait longer for reincarnation, or are refused it completely. A few are occasionally appointed to positions in Reikai; usually that only happens after a soul has gone through many incarnations and has basically completed their life lessons. This isn't to say they're perfect, mind you, just that they've gained all they can from a life in Ningenkai."

"Okay, we get it. Most of that we already knew anyway. Would you get on with it?" Yuusuke snapped.

"Patience, Yuusuke, I'm getting to it." Koenma assured him. He continued, "Okay, so all that is my responsibility, but I quickly realized that, if I tried to do it all myself, things would get even more backed up. So I delegated some of it to a few of the oni that were doing the sorting. Unfortunately, having no previous training in the matter, they didn't do the best job, and many souls were judged improperly. Mostly, the mistakes were easily caught when the souls were being escorted to one hell or another, but I think there were some reincarnations that were approved that probably should've been denied."

"Wait, you **_think_**? You don't know for sure?" Yuusuke exclaimed incredulously.

"Yes, well, you see… it was a rather large mix-up, to say the least, and even once it was over, it was never truly resolved. Over the years, I've been suspicious of the souls of a few evil humans, wondering if they're one of the ones that were accidentally reincarnated. That's the whole reason Reikai employees of certain rank now have to go through a training course called Judgment of the Soul, so they at least know the basics if they're temporarily needed to help out."

Yuusuke exhaled loudly in frustration, "That's great and all, Koenma; really informative. But what does all this have to do with Kagome?"

Koenma merely ignored the boy as he continued, "As I said before, the whole incident started with one lost reincarnation file. A reincarnation file that had been approved. Once all the sorting was said and done, I fully expected that the file would be found. Approval-stamped reincarnation files don't normally just disappear into thin air, after all. At the end of the three days that it took to sort it all out, however, the file still hadn't been found. I received 200 spankings for that file alone, besides what I was given for letting inexperienced oni handle judgments. We never did find out what happened to the file, though there were suspicions and rumors that a Reikai employee had been disloyal and stolen the file for a youkai. Nothing was ever confirmed, though a few of the suspicious employees had never returned since that first day it went missing."

Hiei had had enough. His displeasure with Koenma beating around the bush showed openly on his face. He was on the verge of a Yuusuke-esque outburst of 'Get to the damn point' when Kurama spoke.

"Why was that one reincarnation file so important, Koenma?" the crimson-locked boy asked.

Koenma looked Kurama in the eyes, "That's exactly the point I was getting to, Kurama. The reincarnation that had been approved was no ordinary, everyday, run-of-the-mill ningen reincarnation. It was the soul of a powerful miko that had met a tragic end centuries ago. In fact, it was so tragic that she had not been able to let go of her bitterness and anger for 500 years. Everytime she would come up for review, she was denied reincarnation. That year, though, she had a sudden change in her. She was at peace with her past and ready to move on, and her reincarnation was finally approved. Due to her immense reiki that still coursed through her soul, however, it was standard procedure to keep a close eye on her reincarnation. But, because the file was lost, we were not able to do so.

We did all we could to find her. The Ningenkai monitors were under constant surveillance the first five years after the incident, watching for any signs of where the miko had been reincarnated, but nothing ever showed up. Eventually, it was decided that the reiki had gone into dormancy when the soul entered its new body, and the search for the miko was officially closed."

Emerald eyes grew wide with realization as the point of the story dawned on Kurama. Realization slowly seeped into the brains of the others as Kurama began speaking, "And you believe that Kagome may be that reincarnated miko." It was a statement, not a question. He and Youko both knew they were correct in their assumption.

"Hai," came the confirmation from behind the pacifier. "The levels we've been picking up from her are close to the miko's, and she's the right age to be the reincarnation, as well."

"Well, that explains why there are no records of Kagome in Reikai. And, now that I think about it, I do remember an awfully slow week for us spirit guides all those years ago." Botan stated. "So do you think my theory is correct about her living at that shrine we located in Tokyo?"

"Hai," Koenma repeated.

"If she's from a shrine family, why did her powers take so long to show up?" Kuwabara wondered aloud, "I mean, you would think she would be undergoing training to strengthen her reiki in the first place, and if she's got all that reiki from the miko in her, it'd already be pretty strong."

"In theory, that's true, Kuwa-chan," Botan explained, holding up her index finger to get everyone's attention as she made her point, "But do you remember how I told you that the keeper of that shrine was found to have extremely low reiki levels?"

Three heads nodded. Hiei simply stared unblinkingly at the girl, waiting for her to continue.

"Well, it wasn't just low; it was barely detectable. I don't think that shrine family has trained their powers for generations! And if that's so, that could be another reason it took so long for Kagome-chan's reiki to surface."

'_But what caused it to surface?'_ Kurama pondered to himself.

'**_He did say it could have been brought on by stress.'_** Hiei offered.

_(Hai, but the normal pressures of human adolescence are not usually so intense that they could bring about such a sudden burst of power. She must have undergone something more life-changing than the physical and emotional trials of puberty.)_

'_She didn't seem surprised by the attack on the beach, and she showed no hesitation when she was fighting the youkai. Perhaps she had a confrontation with a youkai, causing her reiki to awaken?'_

_(That is certainly a possibility. Maybe Koenma would know something about that. We should ask him.)_

'_I think I can ask him on my own, thanks, Youko.'_

**'_I agree with the kit, fox. It would be best if you left the talking to Kurama.'_**

"Koenma," Kurama finally said aloud, "is it possible a confrontation with a youkai may have brought on the awakening of her powers?"

"You know, Kurama, you have a good idea there. We won't know for sure until we get the Kagome girl in custody, though. That would also seem to explain why she knows about youkai in the first place. It doesn't explain why she seems to have an inu-youkai as a companion, though." Koenma answered.

_(He has a point there.)_

_'Aa, that he does.'_

"It also doesn't explain why she is already seemingly accustomed to being attacked and fighting." Hiei added.

"Yeah, and speaking of which," Yuusuke broke in, "what the hell is up with the Makai barrier? There've been all these breakouts lately, but they seem pretty random to me." Yuusuke questioned.

"I haven't noticed any kind of pattern yet, either. Even the location of each breakout seems random." added Kurama.

Koenma shook his head with a look of apology, "I don't have any new information on the Makai situation, yet. I have a feeling that it's somehow connected to Kagome, however."

"Right, so how do we find her?" Yuusuke asked.

"As Botan said, we believe she may live at the same shrine that we investigated that first day the reiki showed up. The investigators didn't report seeing a teenage girl on the property, but Kagome may have been away at the time. In fact, she could have already left for the beach by the time they got there."

"That could explain it. Also, if the youkai are connected to Kagome in some way, perhaps that is why the barrier problem moved from Tokyo to the beach." Kurama suggested.

Leaping to his feet, Yuusuke exclaimed, "Okay, so show us where this shrine is already!"

* * *

"Just our luck," Yuusuke grumped, kicking an empty soda can down the sidewalk, "Everyone was **_asleep_** at that shrine!"

"Well, it **_is_** almost one in the morning, Yuusuke." Kurama reminded him.

"Yeah, well, it woulda been nice if we coulda finished this case tonight."

"The girl wasn't there anyway." Hiei remarked.

Kuwabara looked skeptical, "How do **_you_** know that, shorty?"

"Simple," He explained, rolling his eyes before closing them boredly. "While you three were politely knocking and waiting, I slipped in an open window and checked for her. I found an old man—"

"—most likely the shrine keeper Botan told us about." Kurama interjected.

"—a middle-aged woman, and a cat." Hiei continued as if he hadn't noticed the interruption.

"Great, so this probably isn't the shrine she lives in anyway," Yuusuke complained.

"I believe it was," said Kurama, "I picked up what I believe to be her and Inuyasha's scents around the shrine grounds."

"I can't tell you if it is for sure, but I **_can_** tell you there were two empty bedrooms; most likely one for a girl and one for a boy, judging from the way the rooms were decorated. And I can give you this..." Hiei replied, handing Yuusuke a photo. "That was pinned on a corkboard in the empty girl's bedroom."

"Guys, look at this," Yuusuke said, stopping suddenly. Kurama and Kuwabara stopped and walked back to him. Hiei stayed where he was a few paces ahead. He already knew what was in the photo.

"That looks like Kagome-chan and Inuyasha!" Kuwabara exclaimed.

"Aa, but who are the other three?" Yuusuke wondered.

"More friends of theirs, obviously," Kurama answered.

_'Hmm,' _he thought,_ 'they look like some sort of cosplay group.' _

_(Cosplay?) _Youko asked derisively._ (Are they not a bit old to be playing dress-up?)_

'_That little guy did a pretty good job, you have to admit, Youko.'_

_(Aa, if not for the fact that this is a modern instant photograph, I would believe he was the real thing.) _Youko commented approvingly. _(It has been a couple centuries since I have seen a kit at all, though, let alone around humans in Ningenkai. I wonder what they were cosplaying for.)_

_'Some anime, most likely. Those look like the type of characters that would be in an anime.'_

"Well, I guess if Kagome's still not home, back to the beach we go!" Yuusuke exclaimed, unaware of Kurama's internal conversation. He pulled out the compact communicator. "Oi, Botan, come take us back to the beach!"

* * *

"Damn, it's been over a week, and still no sign of them," Yuusuke exclaimed, falling heavily onto one of the hotel room couches, "Any word from Kurama and Hiei yet?"

"No, not since yesterday." Kuwabara answered.

"One of us better find her soon. There's barely a week left of summer break. I'd like to enjoy what's left of it while I have the chance."

"And there's nothin' to do now that Yukimura-san came and took Keiko-chan back home a few days ago, eh, Urameshi?" Kuwabara teased, poking his friend in the side with his elbow.

"At least I'm not hangin' out with my sister all the time." Yuusuke teased back.

The boys' friendly banter was close to becoming an argument when Hiei and Kurama stepped into the room. Their attention was immediately on the kitsune and fire apparition.

"Ohayo, Yuusuke, Kuwabara-kun," Kurama greeted.

Yuusuke glanced out the windows before looking back to Kurama, "What're you talkin' about, 'ohayo'? It's still night."

"Technically, it is after midnight, and therefore morning. In fact, it is almost **_three_** in the morning, so—"

"Okay, okay, ohayo. Jeez you didn't hafta explain your greeting like it was a test question or somethin'. This isn't school, y'know, Kurama."

"Any sign of the girl?" Hiei put an end to their useless argument.

Yuusuke exhaled heavily, "Iie." He looked at the two youkai, "So, I take it you haven't found her, either." It was not a question.

"Just the same mother, son, and grandfather that have been there since we followed that silver van back to Tokyo the day after she disappeared." Kurama replied. "Not even the three girls and one boy you pointed out to us on the beach have been back. They came to the shrine a few days after Kagome left, looking for her. The family said she was sick and couldn't have visitors."

"That's strange, why wouldn't they just tell them she wasn't there?" Yuusuke wondered.

"Perhaps she is somewhere they don't want anyone to know about." Kurama offered. "They certainly went through enough trouble keeping information from us. Even the mother and grandfather had excuses for avoiding us."

"Yeah, and that Souta kid wouldn't even acknowledge that she was his sister." Yuusuke remembered. "Any hint as to where she might be, yet?"

"We've overheard the family talking about 'when Kagome gets back,' but never where she's getting back from." Hiei answered.

Kurama confirmed Hiei's statement, "Hai, and they don't seem to know **_when_** she's coming back, either. Her mother believes she'll at least be back for the first day of school, which, I overheard her say, starts back the same day as ours, but she's not sure if Kagome will 'be back for supplies' before then. Yesterday, she came home, apparently from shopping, and told Souta she had 'stocked up for Kagome.' She asked him to get the supplies ready for Kagome to take with her."

Hiei spoke then, "I was able to spy the boy as he put Kagome's supplies into a separate bag. It was an odd assortment of supplies."

"Like what?" Kuwabara asked.

"There were normal things a ningen might need on a regular basis, like shampoo, soap, and toothpaste. There were also several packages of instant ramen, pocky and cans of soft drinks. But then there were also first aid supplies—"

"That's not that weird, especially if she's gone on another trip before the summer break ends." Yuusuke interrupted.

Kurama shook his head at the boy, "It wouldn't be weird if it was a normal assortment of first aid supplies, but it wasn't just bandages, antibacterial spray, and pain reliever, Yuusuke."

"So what else was there?"

Hiei continued, "There were also several packages of gauze and tape, instant coldpacks, splints, slings, and a manual on first aid, CPR, and how to treat serious wounds."

Kuwabara chimed in, "Well, that's like that saying, 'Better safe than sorry,' right?"

"I would probably think that, as well, Kuwabara-kun, if not for what Hiei heard him say while he was packing it."

They looked at the Jaganshi once more, questioningly.

Hiei entertained the idea of remaining silent. He was not usually so forthcoming with so much information, and it was becoming quite irritating to him. But he knew the more information they had, the more likely this case would be resolved soon. Giving in to the questioning looks, he answered, "He was commenting on how amazing it is that Kagome is always able to fit it all in her backpack, and he said he couldn't believe how quickly she runs out of that stuff."

"What could she be doing that she'd run out of things like that on a regular basis?" Yuusuke asked.

"I think we can add that to the list of questions we will ask her when we finally find her." Kurama answered.

* * *

Kurama took off the complimentary yukata he had donned after his shower and laid it over a chair, pulling silky boxers on before searching for clean clothes to wear. He hadn't been at the hotel much, only coming around to keep Yuusuke and Kuwabara updated and take the occasional shower, as he had tonight; and he hadn't been home for even longer, so he hadn't been able to get his laundry done. In fact, his laundry hadn't been washed since they had first arrived on the beach. Finally, Kurama found a light blue, long-sleeved shirt, his dark red fighting tunic with yellow trim and sash, and a pair of dark blue pants, and dressed.

Gathering his laundry, Kurama noticed an odd scent. _'Nani?'_ Searching through the clothing, he found the jacket he had worn over a week ago. The jacket he had worn the day before the beach incident, in fact. The jacket he had used to wrap up a bloody shirt he had found in an alley dumpster. A jacket that now smelled strongly of inu. And not just any inu; inu-hanyou. _'Why didn't I smell it before?'_

_(There was no scent on it before. It smelled metallic like blood, but nothing that would connect it with a certain person, creature, or youkai. As if it was intentionally covered up.)_

_'By a spell?'_

_(That I cannot say for sure. I do not know much about miko spells, which is obviously what it would be if it is a spell.)_

_'Why do you say that, Youko?'_

_(We have been searching for a girl with a lot of reiki, who may be the reincarnation of a powerful miko. We find the girl, Kagome, who seemingly keeps company with a silver-haired youkai named Inuyasha. An inu-hanyou scent suddenly appears on a bloody shirt we found several days ago after a suspected youkai-attempted-kidnapping. An attempt during which we smelled an inu scent trailing after the youkai and the girl, and after which we saw Kagome with a shirtless Inuyasha. Do you see a pattern here, Kurama?)_

_'Kagome must've been the girl they tried to kidnap. Inuyasha probably got hurt during the attempt and had to get rid of the bloody shirt in order to not call attention to himself once they were around other people, ' _Kurama realized._ 'He had a pink band tied around his arm; that must've been part of the dress Kagome was wearing. Judging from her mother's choice in first aid supplies, we already suspect she must be used to treating wounds like what he might've had.'_

_(And if she is used to doing all that to take care of him, there is no reason to believe she doesn't also cast spells to conceal his scent and youki. No wonder he has been able to hide in Ningenkai. The spell must have worn off over time, and that is why we can smell it now.) _Youko spoke this bitterly. It was obvious the girl cared about the inu-hanyou if she would go to such lengths for him. Youko did not like that idea one bit.

Now was not the time for such thoughts or discussions, however, so Kurama ignored Youko's tone. _'I suppose we should tell the others that we know Inuyasha is an inu-hanyou, now, before Hiei and I go back to watching the shrine.' _Picking up the bag with his laundry in it, which he would drop off at his mother's house before returning to the shrine, Kurama left his hotel bedroom to join Hiei and the others in the living area. He left the jacket with the bloody shirt out. That, he would give to Botan, so that she could take it to Koenma as evidence... or whatever Koenma did with those types of things.

* * *

"Okay, so this Inuyasha guy is an inu-hanyou, not a full inu-youkai," Yuusuke said after Kurama finished telling them what he'd realized. "And the youkai are after Kagome for some reason?"

"Aa." Kurama nodded his head once. "Haven't you noticed, this whole time we haven't been able to find her, there have been no escaped youkai on the monitors?"

"Shit, this is gonna turn into a babysitting job once we do find her, isn't it?" Yuusuke complained. "Once we find her, Koenma's gonna make us be her personal bodyguards or some shit until we find out what's going on in Makai."

"Have any of you ever stopped to wonder what, exactly, Koenma wants her for in the first place?" Hiei asked suddenly.

"Come to think of it, no, I haven't." Yuusuke answered, scratching at his chin.

"You think he wants her to join the team?" Kuwabara suggested.

The dark-haired boy shrugged, "I don't know. Why don't we get Botan to find out?" Noticing Botan wasn't in the room, Yuusuke went searching for her. "Oi, where is that girl? She was here earlier."

"She wasn't in the room with Shizuru tonight." Kuwabara told him.

"Che, probably off annoying people in Reikai for once," Yuusuke laughed.

* * *

"Well, Koenma-sama? What **_are_** your intentions for Kagome-chan?" Botan asked her boss. They were watching the scene at the hotel through Reikai video surveillance.

"I don't know yet, Botan. All I'm concerned with right now is fixing something that went wrong sixteen years ago. If I can get Kikyou-sama's reincarnation back on file and under surveillance, father will surely be quite pleased with me." The pint-sized ruler beamed behind his pacifier. _'From what the boys have told me of her powers, it is a possibility I will offer her a job working for Reikai, but not until I've seen her powers for myself.'_ He said to himself.

"Koenma-sama, what about the Makai situation? Do you think Kurama is right and it has something to do with Kagome-chan?" The blue-haired girl asked.

"That is a possibility, Botan. He's right that we haven't picked up anymore youkai on the Ningenkai monitors. What he doesn't know is that Kagome's reiki hasn't shown up on the monitors either."

"Perhaps she knew they were after her and went into hiding? Maybe that's why she needs those supplies. But why would her mother be so carefree about it? Unless she doesn't know what's really going on, either."

"True, but if her mother doesn't know, what reason would she have to lie to Kagome's friends?"

Botan didn't have an answer for that. There were still more questions than answers, it seemed.

"Whatever the reason may be," Koenma spoke again, "I think it's obvious that we won't find Kagome until she comes home. Tell the boys that three of them need to start their investigation to find out who in Makai is after Kagome. One of them watching the girl's house should be enough, though you should probably make sure either Kurama or Hiei are the one to do it, since they're stealthier."

Botan nodded her understanding, "Hai, Koenma-sama!"

* * *

It was almost 6 in the morning. Yuusuke had only gotten home three hours before from spending a week in Makai, and could have slept at least another day or two, let alone the hour left on his alarm, but he was awoke suddenly by Hiei leaping into his open window.

"Whatever it is, it can wait." The teen grumbled before turning over and pulling the covers over his head. After a few minutes of silence, he groaned and sat up, glaring at the fire apparition still perched in his window. _'I don't think I'm makin' it to the first day back to school, Keiko.'_ he thought to himself. Sighing in defeat, he spoke again, "Okay, Hiei, what is it? I'm gonna be in big trouble with Keiko today, aren't I—damn, what happened to you?" Yuusuke was surprised to see Hiei had a black eye and a few gashes that looked like claw marks on his shoulders.

"The girl has returned." was Hiei's only reply before he leapt back out the window.

End Chapter 10

* * *

Words First Appearing in Chapter Ten:

**_chibi:_** little, small, etc.; generally used to describe children, or people that act or look childlike

**_aa:_** yeah

* * *

**_A/N:_** Just letting you guys know, as of the next chapter, this will be rated NC-17 on MM, and a "cleaner" version will be on FF due to rating restrictions there. Those of you that may want to check out the other versions can find them at

http : www . mediaminer . org / fanfic / view st . php / 83734 / 1 and

http : www . fanfiction . net / s / 2178355 / 1 / (remove spaces), respectively. Oh yeah, also, chapter 9 set a new personal record for me for reviews… a total of 12 altogether, plus a request to host it on another site that's just for Inuyasha crossovers! When she lets me know it's up, I'll post about it in my author's notes.

_**MM . org review replies:**_

**_Ryukotsusei_** and **_tbiris:_** Thanks for being such loyal readers! Glad you liked that last chapter. Hope I didn't disappoint with this one.

**_kitsuneluvuh:_** Hahaha! I love both your reviews. Gotta love a review that mentions cracking a whip **_and_** bishounen tied up and gagged (smirk). Yeah, anyway, the whip thing is really funny cuz I say that a lot to my friends who also write, and when I'm typing while on YIM I have a status message with a whip cracking at me. LOL! So, yeah, just thought I'd share that cuz it's too funny you said it as well. Okay, on to my actual response. Yes, technically Inuyasha isn't a teenager by human standards, but by demon standards he is. I believe I read that Takahashi-sama wanted him to be like a 15-year-old (I've also read 17, but either way…), so when I call him a teen it's meant as a characterization of maturity/looks rather than actual age. Saying this, I also realize he can sometimes act more mature than a normal teen, but he's still got that kind of mentality/temperament for the most part. Anyway, hope that clears that up for ya! Oh, btw, could ya let me borrow Inuyasha and Kurama for just a bit? I promise you can go back to torturing them later. :P

**_kawaiipie007:_** Thanks for the enthusiastic review! Glad you like it so much! Don't worry; I will definitely keep at it, even if it takes awhile between updates.

**_Shabopo:_** Yayzies! I know how you feel about the whole "let's sit down with a group of strangers and tell them our best-kept secrets just for the hell of it" scenarios. It's not very believable for any of them. Thanks for reviewing!

**_Eartha:_** Thank you for the review! I love hearing that my story is the exception for some people when it comes to not usually reading crossovers! I don't know if you guys even know how great that feels, so thank you so much. Also, I'm glad you think Youko's thing for Kags makes it interesting; things will be getting even more interesting later on… and that's all I'll say for now. (evil smirk) For now, keep reading and I'll keep writing!

**_TheStatue:_** Oooh, another person curious about the pairings. But you actually have a few different ideas about what could happen, which is cool. It almost makes me want to spill the beans, but… nah. What I will say, though, is yes, there will be pairings in this fic. When I first started it, I hadn't decided what they would be, if any, but after the first few chapters I'd made up my mind. So just keep reading and hopefully you, and everyone else, will be cool with what I'm planning…

**_TheAlmightyAya-sama:_** Thanks! More is in the making!

_**FF . net review replies:**_

**_Ookami666: _**Heheh… uh… welcies! Glad to hear you'll stick 'til the end… and don't worry, it's looking to be a bit epic still. I'm not sure yet exactly how long it'll be, but definitely past 20 chapters, if not longer.

**_montrith:_** Niiiiiiiice… another uberly long review. :D Well, as you can see, the Tantei didn't go down the Well. I do have plans for the Well in the future, but as for **_what_** those plans are… well you'll just hafta be patient. :P And, OMGoddess, I did a happy dance when you mentioned my choice in villain! You're the first person besides one of my betas to say anything about her. (continues dancing while husband giggles at me)

**_Kagome-reincarnation:_** (gasp) (shock) Look another new chapter! I will surely try to keep up my quality of work, as I'm a perfectionist when it comes to stuff like that. And, yeppers, chapter 8 was 35 pages, though that was in Word with the text size on 14 so I can actually read it, lol.

**_To all my reviewers:_** (hands out strawberry pocky) Love you guys bunches! You can tell cuz you get the _**strawberry**_ pocky, which I normally horde.

* * *

Please read and review! 


	12. Returning Home

**_A/N:_** As you know, I don't normally put author's notes before a chapter, but this chapter warrants it, I believe. This story has changed from an R rating to NC-17 on MM . org, because of citrus content. It's not a lemon by my standards, but it's definitely more than a lime by most standards, so I've dubbed it a grapefruit! LOL! Whatever you call it, though, I believe it needs the higher rating. However FF . net doesn't have NC-17 ratings. Therefore, to avoid possible trouble, I have edited out most of the first scene for FF (note that it is not a different "version" of the scene, I've just completely taken out a few paragraphs). If you would like to read either different version, the main addresses for the story are: http / www . mediaminer . org / fanfic / view st . php / 83734 / 1 and http / www . fanfiction . net / s / 2178355 / 1 /

Unexpected Ally

Disclaimer: YYH belongs to Yoshihiro Tagashi; IY belongs to Rumiko Takahashi; Unfortunately, I am neither one of them. Pity me!

Chapter 11: Returning Home

Kagome sighed as she stepped into the hot spring. It gave her goosebumps as she stepped in slowly, the steaming water climbing her bare skin inch by inch. Soon, she was pink from the warmth. Only her face, shoulders and the swell of her breasts was visible above the water. The moonlight shining through the steam of the hot spring, combined with the sheen of moisture from water and sweat on the girl's skin, gave her an ethereal glow.

Inuyasha was mesmerized. He couldn't take his eyes off her after he accidentally looked at her while guarding Kagome during her bath. He knew he should turn his head, close his eyes, hide at least, but his body would not comply. Suddenly, she locked eyes with him and he saw realization come into those eyes. This was it. He was getting sat for sure. He'd had it so good the past few days; it was inevitable that his sit-free streak wouldn't last.

Finally able to shut his eyes, he braced himself for the impact. But… it never came. The command wasn't said. The only thing he'd heard with his eyes closed was the sound of Kagome's movement in the water. Of course, he **_had_** been trying to block out sound at the time, and had flattened his ears in his attempt to do so. That, combined with the lack of attention being paid to anything other than his inevitable 'sitting,' caused him to miss what actually happened.

Kagome had actually stepped out of the water and padded, naked and dripping, across the shore and into the woods where Inuyasha was sitting on a grassy area.

As he peeked an eye open to see what had prevented the 'sit' command, Inuyasha's eyes bulged and he gulped at the sight before him.

(Paragraphs edited out for posting on FF; if you want to read what's missing, see the above author's note.)

"Ahh, Kagome!" he exclaimed passionately, as he felt himself spill into her willing mouth. His head spun with the ecstasy thrumming through his body. Soon, though, he realized he felt cold. Cold and wet… and slightly sticky. Inuyasha peeked his eyes open, curious whether Kagome had swallowed or spit it out, and was greeted with the sight of…

The empty tree branch. _'Huh?'_ He looked around, disoriented at finding himself up in the branches of Goshinboku. Realization dawned on him after a few moments, however. _'It was a dream. Damn, what a dream.' _He thought to himself as he noticed the mess in his hakama. Evidently, the combination of seeing girls walk around half-naked on the beach in Kagome's time, and accidentally glimpsing her in the hot spring tonight, had affected him more than he'd expected. Inuyasha looked to the sky, seeing the tiny sliver of silver hanging there. It probably didn't help that the new moon was tomorrow night, either. His hormones always seemed to run a bit more wild when his body sensed its coming weakness. Cursing to himself, _'Damn, Miroku's supposed to be the only pervert around here.'_ Inuyasha leapt from the tree and ran off quickly to clean himself up in the nearby river.

* * *

Sango was in the woods, changing back into her kimono after slaying a demon for a local village, when she heard the snap of a twig. Snapping her head around to the noise, she saw Miroku coming up from behind her. 

"Houshi-sama!" she exclaimed, quickly pulling her under-kimono around herself to cover up.

"Good evening, Sango," the monk replied as smoothly as ever, still walking towards her.

"W-What're you doing?" she asked nervously, still very aware of her incomplete dress and gripping what little she **_did_** have on as if for dear life.

"Why, my dear Sango, surely you know what I came here for." The violet-eyed man replied, coming closer still. He was only a few steps from her now, a mischievous gleam shining in his eyes. Taking those last few steps, he came right up to Sango, chuckling softly as she backed away from him only to find herself against a large tree.

Sango gasped as she realized she was trapped. Miroku gently took her hands, pulling them from their deathgrip on her kimono, and grasped them in his, holding them to her sides. Sango's eyes went wide as Miroku leaned towards her, half-lidded eyes on her parted lips, and she pressed back against the tree in an effort to avoid his inevitable kiss. She was unsuccessful.

Miroku's lips pressed against hers softly, as if gauging her reaction. Though she had been expecting the kiss, Sango was caught off guard by the tender gesture and soon found herself melting against him. Realizing she was not fighting him, the monk kissed her more firmly, soon parting her lips with his and darting his tongue in quickly for a taste of his sweet Sango. Sango greeted him happily, surprised by her own boldness as her tongue writhed against his. Soon, Miroku let go of her hands to cup her face and run his hands through her silky brown hair. She followed his lead and put her arms around him, holding onto the fabric of his robes as they continued to make love with their tongues.

Sango's kimono hung open still, her former task of dressing forgotten. Miroku ignored the temptation for awhile, happy just to hold her against him as they continued kissing. As the temptation grew, however, he couldn't fight the urge to wander from her lips. He began to lightly kiss her face, kissing along her jaw to her ear. He nibbled on her lobe and felt a shiver run through Sango as she moaned softly. Miroku felt himself growing aroused by her reactions, despite his original intentions to keep their encounter innocent, and soon found himself attacking Sango's ear, neck, and shoulder with nips and kisses. Her breathing grew heavy and she moaned even more, pulling him against her with one hand tugging his hair gently. Miroku took this as a cue to let his hands venture where they dare not before, and slowly crept his hand towards the open front of her kimono. He ran his hand lightly down her chest, feeling her curves through her breast binding, grabbing one, and squeezing slightly before traveling further down. Sango's stomach muscles jumped and tightened at the contact, adding to Miroku's own excitement as he neared the warm, yet covered, spot between her legs; the spot he most wanted to be.

Suddenly, Sango seemed to come to her senses as she felt Miroku's hand grow ever closer to her most private spot. The hand that had been lightly tugging at his hair in encouragement gave a sharp tug this time, causing Miroku to pause in sucking on her neck. This gave her just the opportunity she'd wanted, and she firmly pushed him away from her, pulling her kimono shut and tying it before he got his wits back.

"B-But, Sango--" Miroku started, stepping forward, confused at her sudden anger.

Sango reached for her Hiraikotsu, raising it in warning to the monk. Evidently her temporary acceptance of his advances had increased his courage, for he did not heed the warning.

"My dear Sango, you can't tell me you didn't enjoy it." he said with a smirk, reaching for her once again.

That was it--her last straw. She brought the weapon down on his head, hearing the crack of wood as it made contact. _'Wait. Wood?' _Sango looked around herself, only to find she was no longer in the forest, but sitting up on her futon in Kaede's hut. Her hand was still clutching the handle of Hiraikotsu, which was imbedded in the hut floor beside her.

"Is something wrong, Sango?" Kaede asked, sitting up from her futon, a worried expression on her face.

Sango blushed furiously, remembering the dream that had caused her attack on Kaede's floor. Shaking her head, both in answer to Kaede and to clear her thoughts, Sango answered, "No, Kaede-sama, just a dream."

"Must've been some dream if it affected you this way. Were you being attacked?"

Sango blushed even more. "H-Hai. Sorry about your floor, Kaede-sama." Sango removed Hiraikotsu from the floor to inspect the damage. The hole didn't go all the way through, thank Kami, but there was a severe gash in the floor now and splinters of wood scattered around it.

"Ah, worry not, my child. That can be easily fixed. Let's just try to go back to sleep for now."

Sango stood and stretched, walking to the mat-covered doorway. "I think I need to get some fresh air first." And with that, she left the hut for a pre-dawn walk.

* * *

Kagome sat on a grassy hill just outside of Kaede's village. She breathed deeply of the fresh air, basking in the calm of the early morning just before dawn. Bringing her breathing under control, she emptied her head of all thought as she meditated, focusing on finding the center of her reiki within herself. She felt a slight rush run through her as she dipped into the ki, searching for its source in her soul. She didn't let it overcome her, however. She'd been practicing this for the past couple weeks now, ever since she returned to Sengoku Jidai with Inuyasha, and was finally becoming accustomed to the feelings that accompanied her meditation. Finding the center of her ki, she focused on controlling the flow outward from her body. She felt her soul warm with the use of the energy, and knew her aura was most likely glowing pink, though her eyes were still closed. 

Kagome focused on the ebb and flow of her aura, willing it to glide out from her slowly, feeling a crackle run through the air around her. She concentrated more, picturing the pink surrounding her growing brighter, fanning out from her body a bit more. She kept concentrating until she was surrounded by a large bubble of reiki, crackling as if filled with electricity. Her hair raised slightly, blowing gently around her in her self-made force field. Suddenly, a pebble was thrown at her, but quickly ricocheted off the pink shield into the nearby woods. A large stick soon followed, having a similar reaction. Finally, a baseball-sized rock was hurled towards her, yet it, too, was diverted to a new direction by the reiki. One more minute of holding her energy like this, and Kagome slowly let it drop back down. It faded back to the lighter pink of her normal aura and finally seeped back into her body, seemingly disappearing completely. Opening her eyes, she smiled, happy with her work.

"Very good, Kagome-sama," came the exclamation of approval from the direction the rock had come.

Kagome turned her head, standing up from her meditating position. "Arigatou, Miroku-sama," she said appreciatively as she bowed to the monk. "I couldn't have gotten this far without your help."

"Well, you certainly have come a long way in these past couple weeks." he agreed. "Let's start on today's weapons training, shall we?"

"Hai." Kagome followed Miroku as he walked in the direction of the target practice area they used while in Kaede's village. It wasn't much, just a few wooden dummies to practice on with her bow, but it was better than nothing.

As she walked, Kagome thought back on the past two weeks.

(Flashback)

Inuyasha leapt out of the well carrying Kagome and her oversized yellow backpack, and didn't stop running until they reached Kaede's hut in the village.

"Oi, Kaede-baba, we're back." he called to the old miko as he entered the hut. He was instantly pounced by Shippou as the kitsune jumped into Kagome's arms.

"Kagome!"

"Shippou-chan!" she cried, catching him. "What are you still doing up?"

"He woke up just a minute ago saying he smelled you coming from the well." Kaede answered.

Shippou nodded furiously. "I missed you so much. Did Inuyasha treat you right? Was he mean? Did you have to sit him a lot? Did you have fun at the beach? Did you bring me anything?" he blurted in one, long breath.

Kaede chuckled at his enthusiasm and greeted the two teens. "Welcome back you two. I trust you had a pleasant visit in Kagome's time?"

"Keh!" the hanyou replied as he set Kagome, still holding Shippou, down and dropped her bag on the floor.

"Oh?" Kaede asked, looking up from the pot she was stirring over her fire. "It was not a good visit? Why not? What happened?"

Just then, Shippou noticed the bandages on Kagome's arms and one very large one on her right leg. "You're hurt! What happened?" The kitsune glared accusingly at Inuyasha, who had a few bandages as well.

"Don't look at me," Inuyasha declared defensively, turning his nose up in the air and crossing his arms in his haori sleeves.

Kagome sighed, sitting beside the old miko, Shippou in her lap. "Don't worry, it's just a few scrapes and bruises. We were attacked while we were there. They were looking for the jewel, I think."

"They? There was more than one? I thought you said there were no youkai in your time, Kagome-sama."

Inuyasha glared at Kagome at this remark. Kagome felt her face heat slightly, knowing full well the accusations that came with that glare.

Still glaring, Inuyasha spoke, "There wasn't just more than one youkai, there was more than one attack!"

"Well, **_excuuuuuse_** me!" Kagome began hotly, "I didn't realize there were youkai there. I mean, the Noh mask was there, but it had a shard in it. I've never seen any other youkai in my time, so how was I supposed to know there were any?"

"Keh, you couldn't **_sense_** them before!"

Kagome narrowed her eyes, a glare darkening her expression towards the inu-hanyou, "Could **_you_**!" She crossed her arms, daring him to argue her logic.

"Yeah, Inuyasha, could **_you_**?" Shippou piped up, quickly hiding behind Kagome when Inuyasha growled at him and threatened to pound him.

"Inuyasha..." Kagome said warningly.

He wisely said nothing further, exiting the hut to cool down in his forest for a bit.

Kagome told Kaede and Shippou everything that had happened, watching their looks of concern grow deeper with each description of an attack. When she was through, Shippou let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

Kaede spoke thoughtfully, "Well, I believe you're right, Kagome. They must have been after the Shikon no Tama. How did they know where to come after you, though, I wonder?"

"I can't figure that out, either. The spell you put on it seemed to fool everyone. I wore it around my neck the whole time, and even Inuyasha couldn't see it. I even had to remind him where it was a couple times!" As she said this, she pulled at something underneath her shirt collar. Pulling the invisible something over her head, she handed it to Kaede, who placed her hands around it and said a short incantation. The room glowed pink briefly, and when she opened her hand she held the mostly-complete Shikon no Tama, which now hung from a thin beaded necklace. The miko handed it back to the girl, who promptly returned it to its place around her neck and under her shirt. "Thanks. I really should learn to do that one as well." said Kagome.

"In time, child, in time. For now it should be enough to continue practicing the spells for Inuyasha and Tetsusaiga. From what you told me of the reactions of your reiki during tonight's attack, you still have a lot of learning to do about your powers, and this spell takes a lot more out of you since it's designed to last indefinitely rather than needing re-cast every day."

"Do you think I'll ever be able to control my powers completely, Kaede-baa-chan?"

"Of course, child. You just need training. In fact, we can begin tomorrow, and perhaps the houshi can help you continue while you are traveling."

"Arigatou, Kaede-baa-chan!" Kagome cried, hugging the old miko tightly in appreciation. "Have you had any word on when he and the others might be returning?"

"Actually, the tanuki, Hachi, came just last night looking for the houshi, so I expect him anytime now. As for Sango, Kohaku, and Kirara, no word from them yet. I sent Myouga after them this morning, however."

* * *

For the next three days, Kaede worked with Kagome, training her in the art of meditation and focusing her ki. The going was slow but steady, and Kagome dedicated herself to the training. Every morning she would try to meditate, then join Kaede in bow practice. Kagome had already gotten pretty good with her bow during her journeys with Inuyasha and the others, but she'd been out of practice ever since Naraku had been defeated and appreciated the chance to brush up her skills. 

The fourth day after she'd arrived back, Kagome headed out for her morning training. Coming up to her meditation hill, however, she was met with a pleasant surprise as she looked towards the sound of metal clinking against metal. Soon, she saw familiar black and purple robes, and the staff that had been the origin of the clinking sounds. Abandoning all calm and thoughts of staying quiet in the still of the early morning, she ran with open arms towards the monk exclaiming, "Miroku-sama!"

Miroku was pleasantly surprised to be greeted in such a way, but soon found himself on the receiving end of a slap as he showed his appreciation in the usual manner.

Kagome had brought him into the village, abandoning her morning routine, and soon everyone was gathered around the monk to hear of his journey since he'd left the village nearly four weeks before. It had been a rather uneventful journey back to Mushin's, and he met very few youkai along the way. Once back at his mentor's dwelling, he'd spent much time meditating, thinking on the past, present and future. His meditating had helped him come to a few decisions about what to do now that his quest for Naraku had been fulfilled, and only then did he begin his trek back to his former companions.

All that day, Miroku had been swarmed by women in the village offering to bear his child. Almost all of them had been propositioned in the past and, with his return, were excited to agree. As she caught glimpses of him throughout the day, Kagome noticed that the monk hadn't laid an improper finger on any of the women, though. She thought it very unlike him, but was soon busied with helping the villagers prepare a feast for the night, in celebration of his safe return, and forgot about it.

Just as dusk was settling in, and lanterns were set up in the main area of the village, a bright fire came hurtling from the sky towards the village. Kagome's stomach clenched in anticipation of an attack, but soon relaxed when she realized they were in no danger.

"Sango-chan!" she called happily, running up to her friend and hugging her as soon as Kirara landed.

Sango hugged her back, tears of joy in her eyes after such a long time apart. "Kagome-chan! I've missed you so much. All of you."

Kagome smiled and turned to Kohaku. "Hello, Kohaku-kun. How have you been?"

The boy smiled back shyly, answering barely above a whisper, "Okay."

She smiled warmly at the shy boy, gesturing for the sibling to follow her. "You've arrived just in time. We were just about to start a feast in the village. Miroku-sama came back just this morning."

"So we heard," Sango replied, gesturing to Kirara. Just then, Myouga jumped off the demon cat onto Kagome, who smacked him soundly as he started sucking blood from her neck.

"Well, I guess you had a safe journey if Myouga-jii-chan came back with you as well."

"Kagome, I'm insulted!" the flea replied indignantly. "I take my life in my hands to journey to the taijiya village, and this is the greeting I receive upon my return?"

Sango rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. We had to track you back down just yesterday when a weak boar youkai attacked us in the woods, you cowardly flea."

Just then, the flea was lifted from where he was sitting in Kagome's hand by two claws holding onto his shirt.

"Up to the usual tricks, eh, Myouga-jiji?" Inuyasha said in a disapproving tone, holding the flea up to his face to scrutinize him.

"Inuyasha-sama! I assure you, I did no such thing. I merely wandered away to get a snack, and when I caught up to Sango and Kohaku, they had already killed the youkai. It's not my fault! But I certainly did not run away."

Inuyasha raised a brow at the flea. "Wandered off for a snack, eh? Why didn't you just drink from Kirara like usual?"

Myouga gulped at the flaw in his excuse. "Okay, well maybe I did run away. But how was I to know the boar was weak? I'm only a flea, after all."

"You were traveling with two youkai taijiya. I don't think you had any need to worry." Inuyasha rolled his eyes at his retainer.

"Yeah, Myouga-jii-chan. After all, you've seen Sango-chan in battle before, and Kohaku-kun was trained just as she was." Kagome pointed out.

The flea hung his head in shame, defeated.

As the friends neared the center of the village, Miroku and Shippou caught sight of them and came over to greet them as well.

Shippou jumped from Miroku's arms into the arms of a surprised Kohaku, and immediately snuggled the boy and the kitten-like Kirara that was in his arms as well.

"Sango, Kohaku, Kirara, you've returned!" Miroku quickly drew Sango into an embrace before she could escape, his hand immediately moving to rub her butt. How he'd missed that familiar feeling. He was soon lying on the ground, twitching, after Hiraikotsu greeted his head.

"I see the curse has not left your hand, though Naraku is no more, Houshi-sama." Sango remarked dryly, slinging Hiraikotsu back over her shoulder. She smiled warmly down at him, however, and held out a hand to help him up.

The friends feasted that night, and Sango told everyone how she and Kohaku had begun rebuilding their village. The exact details of the past four weeks were saved for after the feast, however, when the Inu-tachi were once more alone together and Kohaku and Shippou were asleep.

* * *

The graves of their family and friends had already been covered by grass the first time Kohaku had visited them to pay his respects, and he had been deeply saddened by this fact. It had taken awhile for him to not be horrified by his returning memories, also, and Sango had spent many nights sitting up with the boy as he cried and retched from nightmares. After the second week, however, he began to be plagued by them less and less, and was soon showing signs of his old self. Sango was delighted when she finally saw him acting like a normal young teen again. She started training and sparring with him, as well as continuing to work on rebuilding their destroyed village. 

After the third week, their father's home was almost completely restored, as well as a couple storehouses, though there was still much work to do on the rest of the village. Yet, Sango felt it still wasn't quite right. She began visiting Midoriko's cave more and more, in hopes of receiving some sort of sign as to what she should do. It wasn't until Kohaku came to get her from the cave one night that she realized what was missing.

He'd asked her to come back to the village, because he couldn't sleep without her there. He'd been away from the village so long, it didn't feel like he belonged to it anymore, and without her there he felt uneasy. Sango understood then that it really wasn't their home anymore. They still were connected to it through their history and their memories, but her true home was now with her friends that she had been traveling with for over a year. She knew once Kohaku got to know them, he'd feel the same way. The next morning, they had been preparing to leave for Kaede's village just as Myouga had arrived to inquire of their return.

* * *

After Sango had finished her story, Kagome told Sango and Miroku what had happened in her time. Inuyasha sat in a corner of Kaede's hut, arms and legs crossed in his usual fashion, grumbling under his breath as he remembered it all. He was still upset by the fact that they had been so openly attacked in Kagome's time, and the two teens had been arguing about whether Kagome could go back to her own time ever since they'd come back through the well. 

Once she'd finished filling her friends in, Kagome told them about the training she'd started with Kaede.

"Miroku-sama, would you mind working with me on my training now that you're back? Kaede-sama has a lot of other responsibilities around the village, and it would really help if I continued the training while we're traveling anyway."

"Hai, Kagome-sama, it would be my pleasure to help you with your reiki training." he agreed immediately.

After that night, they had met every morning just before dawn to meditate together and build up her control of her reiki. Two days later, they had left the village to continue their quest for the Shikon no Kakera, but still took time every morning for her training. Kagome was able to practice her bow skills when they would occasionally be attacked by youkai looking for the jewel or just a tasty human meal, and soon it became so second nature that Inuyasha wouldn't even protest. She'd even helped in battles with stronger youkai when the Inu-tachi's services were commissioned by villages they would pass through.

They searched for shards for a full week before coming back to Kaede's village two nights before Kagome was to go back to her time, yet they found nothing. They hadn't even heard any shard rumors, which had been extremely frustrating to say the least. With Naraku gone, they'd all hoped it would be easy to find the last few missing shards to complete the jewel, but it seemed that would not be the case.

(End Flashback)

Kagome shook her head to clear her thoughts as she and Miroku finally walked into the clearing for bow practice. She practiced for about an hour, Miroku giving her tips every now and then on what she should do differently. The main focus of the practice was controlling her use of reiki with the arrows, as Kagome's bow skills on their own were excellent after so much practice during their journey, plus the recent practicing with Kaede.

The sky was just turning from the pale light of the sunrise to the blue of the day as they headed back to join their friends in the village for breakfast.

"Miroku-sama?" Kagome said suddenly, looking towards the monk beside her as they walked.

"Hai, Kagome-sama?"

"I was just wondering about something," she began, "I noticed you haven't been propositioning women in any of the villages we've been to lately, and, except for your greeting to me when you first returned, you haven't had wandering hands for anyone but Sango-chan. Are you finally becoming serious about your intentions towards her?"

Miroku stopped in his stride momentarily, caught slightly off guard by the specific question. He didn't realize he'd been so obvious, but it was true that he hadn't been interested in flirting with anyone but Sango since he'd returned. Hesitating in his answer a moment, he finally spoke as he continued his stride, "Ah, Kagome-sama, I have always been serious about Sango. It's just that... before my kazaana closed, I couldn't bear to burden her with a relationship with a dying man."

Kagome smiled. She'd figured as much. "So," she said, pushing her shoulder against his to encourage him to continue, "Are you going to ask Sango-chan to marry you?"

"Aa, I would love to. But she has just had her brother returned to her, and they are still rebuilding their relationship after all that's happened. How can I expect her to give me special attention at a time like this?"

"Well, you could build up to it slowly, you know. Spend time with both her and Kohaku-kun. You could even try to spend time with just Kohaku-kun, take an interest in him and see if there's any way you can help him feel more comfortable. If Sango-chan sees you making an effort to help her brother and get to know him, she'll realize your intentions are true when you ask her."

"Arigatou, Kagome-sama. Your advice rings true."

"Well, I want to do all I can to help. You two obviously belong together."

Miroku beamed at the comment, believing it to be true as well.

"What're **_you_** so happy about?" Inuyasha grumbled as they entered Kaede's hut for breakfast. He had slept very restlessly after his dream of the night before, and was therefore in a bad mood. He was also unconsciously trying to make up for his embarrassment from the effects of the dream by being especially cross towards everyone, especially Kagome.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" Miroku replied cheerfully, taking a seat beside Sango.

Sango blushed at his nearness, remembering her earlier dream. Miroku smirked slightly at her reaction, oblivious to the specific reason for it, but happy to cause such a reaction.

"Hai, it's lovely out. I took a walk earlier and it was quite refreshing." the taijiya finally answered, casting her eyes towards the food laid out before them, rather than looking at the houshi.

"What happened to your floor, Kaede-sama?" Shippou asked curiously, noticing it as he got up from his futon to join the others for breakfast.

"Just a little accident, Shippou, nothing to worry about," Kaede answered dismissively. Judging from Sango's deepened blush at the question, the old miko figured the taijiya girl didn't really want to talk about what had caused her to attack the floor with her Hiraikotsu in the middle of the night. "How is your training with Kagome going, Houshi-dono?" Kaede asked Miroku, changing the subject as she finished setting out the meal.

"It's going very well, Kaede-sama. Her barriers are getting much stronger and she has much more focus and control of her reiki now as well. As long as she keeps up with her meditation in her time, she should be able to continue growing stronger."

"Ah, that's right, you're going back tonight, are you not, Kagome?"

"Hai, I'm going home tonight so I have time to settle in before school starts tomorrow." Kagome answered the old miko. Inuyasha growled under his breath.

"Aw, Kagome, do you really hafta go?" Shippou asked, pouting.

"Hai, Shippou-chan. I'm really getting behind in my studies, and high school is not the time to slack off in my work. I promise I'll be back soon, though."

"Damn straight, you will. Don't forget, you have more important work to do here." Inuyasha spouted.

Kagome growled a small human growl back at him. "Inuyasha, you don't have to keep reminding me, you know. I know I still have to help you find the shards, but I can't just completely ignore my life in my time. I mean, once this is over, I have to have a future to look forward to. If I don't finish school, I'll never get into University, and I won't have much of a future at all if that happens."

Her words struck him suddenly, and he felt an intense loneliness though he was surrounded by his friends. Kagome wanted a future in her time. Where did that leave him? Sure, he hadn't been able to come to an exact decision about his feelings towards her yet, beyond the obvious attraction his wet dream had so easily pointed out, but he still wanted her friendship no matter what. Would that even be possible once the Shikon no Tama was complete? Inuyasha was brought out of his thoughts by Shippou speaking again.

"What about those youkai that attacked you? Are you sure you'll be safe in your time?" the kitsune-child asked.

"Don't worry, Shippou-chan." Kagome said, hugging him reassuringly, "Inuyasha says he won't even let me go through the well without him with me anymore, so I'll be perfectly fine. For once, I think I'll welcome his overprotectiveness. I mean, I've gotten a lot better at controlling my reiki, but it's still scary to know there's youkai out there after something you protect and carry with you."

"Ah, yes, that reminds me, I need to put the spell on the Shikon no Tama again before you leave. I might as well do it now."

Kagome took the necklace that held the jewel off, handing it to Kaede. "Please, Kaede-sama, won't you teach me this spell yet?"

"Patience, my child. You still have much training to do before I'll let you attempt it. The power it takes to hide such a powerful magical presence is still much greater than you are used to using on a regular basis. My spell will hold out while you are back in your time, so do not worry."

* * *

The day seemed to pass very quickly, as Kagome spent it mostly preparing to leave and saying goodbye to the villagers. She and Inuyasha would only be gone a few days, but she'd been staying in the village for so long that it was as if she were leaving for a year. The villagers even threw another feast in her honor that evening. 

Afterwards, Kagome couldn't help grinning when she saw Miroku talking to Kohaku. He seemed to speak easily with the boy, and Kohaku looked more at ease than he did around most of the other villagers. Sango even seemed to noticed and had joined in their conversation. What they were talking about, Kagome had no idea, but she knew the monk was taking her advice to heart and putting it to good use already. She wondered what changes she would be returning to in three days' time.

"What're you grinning so stupidly for?" Inuyasha asked, sitting on the log in front of a small bonfire next to Kagome.

"Oh, nothing," Kagome answered, sounding slightly dreamy.

Inuyasha followed her gaze to the houshi and two taijiya and could only guess what kind of ideas were running through the girl's head. "What are you scheming now?"

"Nothing, nothing," Kagome said, waving her hands in front of herself and shaking her head.

"Whatever," the hanyou replied, deciding whatever it was, he probably didn't really want to know.

Less than an hour later, she was saying goodbye to everyone in the village one last time. Almost everyone wanted to give her a hug, but only the women actually did. The first and only man that had actually tried to hug her goodbye had gotten a good pounding from a certain inu-hanyou and none of the others thought it was quite worth the risk just to embrace the time-traveling miko.

Sango, Kohaku, Miroku, Shippou, Kirara, Kaede, and even Myouga accompanied Kagome and Inuyasha to the well, saying goodbye and sharing a few last hugs with the girl. Kagome even hugged Miroku, saving him from a pounding at Inuyasha's hands by pointing out that he had behaved himself perfectly. Finally, Kagome gave Shippou a tight squeeze before handing him to Kaede, and she and Inuyasha jumped through the well together just as his monthly transformation overcame him.

End Chapter 11

* * *

Words First Appearing in Chapter Eleven:

**_Hiraikotsu:_** flying bone; Sango's bone boomerang

**_Kaede-baba:_** Old Woman Kaede; this is how Inuyasha addresses Kaede

**_Kaede-baa-chan:_** Grandma Kaede; this is how Kagome addresses Kaede

**_tanuki:_** raccoon-faced dog

**_Myouga-jii-chan:_** Grandpa Myouga; this is how Kagome addresses Myouga

**_Myouga-jiji:_** Old Man Myouga; this is how Inuyasha addresses Myouga

**_Houshi-dono:_** basically, honorable monk; this is what Kaede calls Miroku. "Dono" is an archaic honorific not used often in modern speech anymore, though it's possible to still hear it on occasion. It's used to show respect to someone of high rank, by someone of similar rank; the closest actual definition of it I could find was "Lord," but "Lord Monk" sounds funny, hence my interpretation.

* * *

**_A/N #2:_** Okay, starting now my updates will be taking a little longer because I am now working on a continuation of my one shot on MM as well. I will still be working on this one, and it's not going on hiatus or anything because I have plenty of plot left to it, so don't worry about that. I will most likely be taking turns updating each fic. 

Also, a final note to anyone that may have a pairing request: Pairings are decided for both fics already. My lips are still sealed on the true pairing for Unexpected Ally, but A New Dream, A New Destiny is definitely Kag/Kur. Okay, I think that's all for the author's notes this chapter.

_**Review replies:**_

I'm really tired and lazy right now, but I wanted to post this today, so no individual review replies this time. I do want to thank each and every one of you for reviewing, however, so I hope you don't all mind being lumped in together.

**_tbiris, kitsuneluvuh, bullssweetpea, Ice Vixen X, shushikittychan, Ookami666, Kita, Kawaiipie007, _and_ catwoman456:_** Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! I'm so happy you're all enjoying this story and that you'll keep coming back. And any of you that have never had pocky: you should find some and try it! 'Tis awesomeness! My Super Wal-mart has it, as well as Suncoast and pretty much any Asian grocery/market, or you can order it online.

* * *

Please Read and Review! 


	13. Back to School

Unexpected Ally

Disclaimer: YYH belongs to Yoshihiro Tagashi; IY belongs to Rumiko Takahashi; Unfortunately, I am neither one of them. Pity me!

Chapter 12: Back to School

Kurama sat at his desk, staring out the window at the trees on the school ground. The golden afternoon sunlight kissed the leaves as they blew gently in the wind, calling to his kitsune soul. How he wished he could answer the call.

"Minamino-kun," the teacher called, sounding slightly irritated.

Snapping out of his daze, Kurama answered, "Hai, sensei?"

"I asked you to please read the next passage from the book."

Blushing slightly as he realized the whole class was staring at him, surprised that the school's best student hadn't been paying attention in class, he looked at his book trying to remember the last paragraph he had heard. He reddened further when the teacher walked to his desk and pointed out the passage he was to read.

"A-Arigatou," Kurama said softly, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. He read the passage from his Japanese Literature book quickly, and the boy sitting in the desk behind him picked up where he left off. Kurama tried to pay attention better, but was soon gazing out the window again, lost in thought.

He had volunteered to watch the shrine to keep a lookout for the girl while his friends had gone into Makai. He was determined to be the first one to approach the girl, especially with the knowledge that Hiei might be… less than cordial… upon first meeting her.

Nothing new had happened in the week his friends were gone, however, and he'd left his post the night before last when Botan had come with an urgent message for him. Apparently, his mother was becoming very worried about him being gone for so long, and had been calling his friends, local hospitals, and even law enforcement, looking for him. It had been deemed in the best interests of all Reikai matters that Kurama return to his human mother for a few days. They'd managed to keep everything secret from her so far, and Koenma intended to keep it that way if at all possible. The fewer humans that knew about the matters of the three worlds, the better.

When he'd gone home, Kurama had apologized profusely to his worried mother, giving the excuse that he'd gone on a spur of the moment trip with his friends. Luckily, she accepted the excuse without question. She was, after all, at least partially used to his extended absences over the past couple years. Minamino Shiori had immediately called the police detectives she'd called earlier to let them know they could stop their search.

Other than the visit from Botan concerning his mother, there'd been no word from anyone in Reikai, and he'd been given no new information concerning the progress of his teammates in Makai. Therefore, Kurama had taken advantage of the short moment of peace and spent the whole next day with his mother. It had truly been ages since he'd spent much time with her, and he'd definitely not been paying as much attention to her since she'd gotten over her illness that fateful day two years ago. The day his life had been forever changed by Yuusuke's sacrifice for him and Shiori.

These were the things he had been contemplating, after waking in the middle of the night last night from a dream about that time so long ago, when Hiei had rapped at the frame of his open window around three AM. Apparently, he, Yuusuke, and Kuwabara had returned from Makai not long before, after a short detour to Koenma's office to give the Junior Ruler their report.

(Flashback)

"Come in, Hiei," Kurama replied to the knock, already wide awake. "Did you just get back?"

Hiei dropped to his feet just inside the window. "Aa, not too long ago. The others are probably sleeping already by now." The shorter youkai answered, his red eyes practically glowing through the darkness.

Kurama sat at his desk and turned on the lamp, offering an extra chair to his friend, who wordlessly refused by perching on the inside of the window he'd been standing in front of. The redhead was not surprised by the action, and had really only offered the chair out of tradition. He would always offer, Hiei would always silently refuse, and it never changed.

"So, were you able to catch any leads in Makai?" the kitsune-boy inquired, his former contemplations pushed to the back burner once more.

Hiei crossed his arms as he replied, "Iie."

"Nothing?"

The hybrid shook his head, looking more than a little peeved, "Koenma was rather cross about it when we gave him our report. We heard a few more rumors similar to that Makai folk tale you told me about, and there were reports of more missing youkai, but no real leads. I wanted to go check out that Forest of the Void, but Koenma instructed us not to go without your plant manipulating abilities. About the only benefit that came from this mission is the great use I got out of my katana." His hand absentmindedly went to his hip as he said this, stroking his thumb over the hilt of the sword.

Kurama laughed softly behind his hand at the reflexive gesture. Hiei shot him a glare and Kurama cleared his throat to speak, "He's right, though. It wouldn't be wise to go into any Makai forest without me, especially an uncharted one."

"Are you saying you don't think I could've handled it?" Hiei questioned incredulously.

Kurama looked Hiei right in the eyes, "You know I believe you to be quite capable of handling yourself in dangerous situations, Hiei. But if any part of that legend is true, as we believe it to be, who knows what kinds of traps or enemies could be lurking in that Forest. At least if I'm there to influence the plants, we'd have more of a chance of all of us getting through if things become hostile."

"Then you should've gone and left someone else to watch for that onna. You're wasting too much time that could be spent solving this case just because you can't control that perverted fox in your head."

Youko was roused from his slumber by the remark, and quickly responded with a growl. Kurama slapped his hand over his mouth, soft golden eyes returning to emerald green when he realized the silver kitsune had snuck out for a moment.

It was Hiei's turn to laugh, but he didn't bother trying to hide it. **_'By all means, continue, Youko. You're only proving my point.'_**

_(Perhaps you think you could control me?)_ Youko purred suggestively.

Kurama watched a gleam come into the hybrid's eyes, and felt a sense of foreboding.

'**_I know I could, kitsune.'_** Came the fire apparition's equally suggestive reply.

'_Don't encourage him, Hiei.'_ Kurama warned.

Hiei ignored the redhead, continuing his taunt at the silver kitsune, **_'You're too preoccupied with this human girl to take me on. You even convinced Kurama to stay behind on the chance she would show up and you could have her to yourself before taking her to Koenma.'_**

_(Please, you could not handle me if you tried. Besides, what would you have had him do, leave you to watch for her? I would not say you are the best candidate to watch for a little human girl that knocked you out the first time you saw her powers.)_

'**_That wouldn't have happened if I'd been watching her. I was rather busy with my own battle at the time.'_** Hiei insisted.

_(Hmm.)_ Youko commented dismissively.

'_**Fine, you really think you can take me? Let's go for it!'**_

Kurama was shocked, to say the least. Ever since Youko had become a more vocal presence in his consciousness, he'd been propositioning Hiei. Kurama knew it was mostly to get a rise out of both he and his friend, but he also suspected that Youko truly wouldn't care whether his partner was male or female as long as his sexual appetite could be fed. Hiei had only played along like this a couple times, generally after a battle when his adrenaline and youki were still fired up, but he'd never gone so far as to actually challenge the kitsune back and agree in such a way.

Taking advantage of Kurama's dropped guard in his shock, Youko exerted his control over their body. Hiei watched as the emerald green eyes of his friend turned to the soft golden color, and silver slowly seeped down from the roots of Kurama's crimson locks, extending the hair's length by more than a foot until it flowed past his hips. His fangs lengthened slightly, as did the claws that were formerly human nails, and his height grew to seven feet. The white clothing that his youki created for him was incandescent in the dark room as Youko turned off the desk lamp.

Slowly, deliberately, the statuesque youkai approached the hybrid. The look in his eyes was mischievous, and he ran his tongue over his parted lips and slightly bared fangs seductively. "So you want to take me on?" the deep, sensual voice purred through the thick silence.

"Enough talk, kitsune," the spiky-haired youkai demanded, stepping closer to Youko and staring defiantly up into his burning gaze.

Trapped within their consciousness for the moment, Kurama couldn't believe what was happening. _'Youko, stop this nonsense. What about Kagome?' _he said almost pleadingly.

_(What about her? She has nothing to do with this.)_ The silver kitsune blocked out Kurama's further protests. Youko leaned down until his face was right in front of Hiei's, lips so close to touching, and put his hands on the other youkai's shoulders. Suddenly, he darted his tongue out, licking a vertical line up the center of the Jaganshi's lower lip to his top lip with the very tip of his tongue. Then, flashing a playful grin, he leapt out the open window behind Hiei and started running through the streets of Tokyo.

(End Flashback)

Kurama was brought out of his daydream by a tap on his shoulder. He shook his head, blinking his eyes a few times to clear their haze, and looked to see who had gotten his attention. He saw his teacher standing in front of his desk and noticed he was the only student left in the classroom. School had ended for the day, and he hadn't even noticed.

"Minamino-kun, I'm surprised at you," she said in an almost motherly tone. "You've never daydreamed in my class before."

"Sumimasen, sensei." He apologized.

"Is everything okay, Minamino-kun?"

Kurama nodded, "Hai, just fine. Just a bit tired today."

She looked at him skeptically, eyeing his cut, slightly swollen lip. "Hmm, well okay, but you know you can talk to me anytime you need to, ne?"

"Hai, arigatou, sensei," he replied, gathering his things in his bag that sat beside his desk and walking out the door. He was glad he didn't have Sougi today. Finally, he could get back to more important things.

* * *

Hiei sat in a branch of a tree, waiting for the rest of the tantei to get out of school. He'd finished his assignment for the day early, and had nothing better to do than wait for his friends to join him. He waited half an hour, but soon gave into his exhaustion from the activities of the night before and fell asleep. 

(Flashback)

Hiei grinned at the empty room, letting Youko have a full two seconds' headstart before chasing after him. Jumping to the sidewalk below the second story window, he quickly found which direction the silver youkai had taken and started off after him.

Youko Kurama was fast. He'd had to be to become such a magnificent thief in Makai. Hiei, however, was faster. His whole life he'd lived as an outcast, even when living with the bandits, and he'd learned to use his size to his advantage in order to survive. He ran faster than an accelerated fire. Therefore, neither he, nor the Youko, were surprised when he soon caught up to the fox. However, both had been holding back, toying with the other. Once Hiei had caught up to him, Youko put on a burst of speed and was out of sight again, heading towards the very outskirts of the city.

Hiei smirked, increasing his speed slightly in order to stay just one step behind his friend, letting Youko lead him where he wanted. He followed the kitsune's trail outside the city, along the highway, finally catching sight of him as they neared a thick forest. He soon lost sight of him again when Youko entered the forest, however.

Hiei slowed down just a bit, trying to feel through the conflicting youki he felt all around him. The trees and plants seemed to creep towards him from every direction, trying to close him in. **_'Kitsune tricks,'_** he thought to himself, realizing Youko had sent his youki into the surrounding greenery, using the forest to his full advantage to hide himself.

_(What's the matter, Koorime? I thought you said you could take me.)_ Youko spoke mockingly into Hiei's mind.

'_**I can and I will get you, Kitsune. Use your best skills, it won't matter, you're no match for me.'**_

Youko laughed, a rich sound that echoed through the trees. It was slightly disorienting, and Hiei couldn't tell which direction the true sound came from at first. He stopped suddenly to get his bearings back, leaning against a tree for a moment to ground himself. He could feel the youki pulsing through it and felt a slight rush as it spoke to the desire of his own youki. He smirked suddenly, eyes gleaming in triumph even as they narrowed. He could feel the direction from which the true youki flowed.

Hiei picked up the trail once more and sped off after the tricky fox, using his katana on any plant or vine that tried to block his path. As he felt the pulse of youki grow stronger, he saw a flash of silver and white. Leaping into a tree, he stalked the kitsune from the branches of the canopy, finally dropping down right in front of Youko as they entered a clearing in the center of the forest.

The smaller youkai grabbed the taller one's wrist, spun him about quickly, and pushed him to the ground on his stomach. He put his weight onto Youko's back with one knee, the other knee on the ground beside the kitsune's left hip. One hand held Youko's arm to his own back by the wrist Hiei had grabbed, the other hand held the kitsune down by his left shoulder. Leaning down, he put his face right beside his friend's and breathed into his ear, "Gotcha."

Youko smiled, pleased at the rare playfulness of his friend. Suddenly, he rolled, twisting his arm to bring the Jaganshi under him. Hiei soon found himself on his back on the ground, Youko looking down at him smugly as he straddled him, arms crossed across his chest. "Who got whom?" the kitsune asked, a slight laugh behind his voice as he raised an eyebrow.

Hiei growled low and thrust his hips upward, quickly rolling backwards as Youko was lifted off him just enough to allow the action. He landed in a crouch, his head bent to face the ground. Looking up slowly, he grinned ferally at the silver kitsune.

"You haven't gotten me yet."

"No, I guess not," Youko agreed, "I will soon remedy that, however."

He sprinted forward even as Hiei leapt up once more and landed behind him. Youko spun around to meet him just as Hiei shot a fist towards him. The kitsune caught the fist, sending one of his own at the fire apparition's face. Hiei leaned back out of the way just in time, watching the fist skim just past him as he pulled his hand back out of Youko's palm. He leaned back completely and planted his hands on the ground behind him, springing himself backwards to land on his feet a few feet away, and quickly dashed forward once again. This time, his punch made contact with the kitsune's stomach.

Even as the blow came to Youko's stomach, he returned the favor to Hiei. They soon were in a dance of give and take as they sparred with each other, each trying to get the upper hand but continuing to come out even. If one landed a punch, so would the other. Every kick was met with one of equal value, and every miss spurred them to push their limits even more.

They used only their bodies, feeding off their youki just to increase their endurance, and both were soon panting hard from the energy they'd expended. Finally an end came when Youko swept a long leg at Hiei's legs, knocking him off his feet. The kitsune quickly straddled the fire apparition once more, holding him down with his knees squeezing Hiei's hips and twining their ankles together. Youko held Hiei's arms down above his head and put his face down to his, grinning triumphantly.

"Tell me again, who got whom?" the fox asked in mock confusion.

"You can't win all the time, Youko," was Hiei's reply.

Youko simply licked the Jaganshi's lips the same way he had to start their game, and rolled off of his friend and onto his back beside him, releasing a heavy sigh of satisfaction.

They lay there for a long while, even after they had both caught their breath, gazing up at the stars in the moonless sky. They stayed that way, their hands cradling their own heads as they stared up through the opening in the canopy. Finally, as the sky began to lighten, Hiei looked to his side to see his friend had returned to the redheaded human form he usually took. Kurama was looking back at Hiei, green eyes smiling, though he looked tired and a little worse for the wear. Both boys had cuts and bruises all over and their clothes were a little more than ruffled from their fight; Kurama had a bloody lip, and Hiei had a nice shiner on his eye and few gashes on his shoulders from Youko's claws.

"Thanks, Hiei," the redhead said sincerely. Though he hadn't realized what the challenge had been about at first, he was extremely glad for it now. He and Youko had both needed a good romp in the woods, as they hadn't really had the opportunity while keeping surveillance on Kagome's shrine, and now the silver kitsune was sleeping deeply within his consciousness.

"Anytime, kitsune," Hiei replied, sitting up and smiling at his friend. He offered his hand to Kurama as he stood up, and they both started the trek back towards Tokyo. They ran once more, though not as urgently as they had before, and slowed to a casual pace once they hit the sidewalks of the city.

Heading back to his house so he could clean up and dress for his first day back to school, Kurama soon noticed that they were passing through Kagome's neighborhood. Hiei noticed as well, and knew Kurama was thinking about their location.

"Fine, but quickly," Hiei said, answering the unasked question, and followed behind his friend as he came to the shrine entrance and began climbing the many steps to the top.

When they finally set foot on the shrine grounds, both youkai immediately knew something was different. Hiei walked with Kurama as he sniffed around, both boys finally ending up in a tree outside Kagome's window.

Kurama gasped as he peered inside. "She's here."

"So is that Inuyasha guy, it seems," Hiei pointed out. "I thought he had white hair, though."

"He does," Kurama answered.

"Looks black to me."

Kurama took a closer look in the window, searching for the boy he hadn't noticed at first glance. There Inuyasha was, on a futon on the floor beside Kagome's bed. He looked the same as he remembered, even down to the white hair and red kimono he'd last seen him in. "What are you talking about, Hiei, his hair is white."

Hiei looked again and, sure enough, the hair was white. **_'But… I'm sure it looked black before.'_**

'_The sun has just risen fully; perhaps it was a play of the shadows before.'_

'_**Perhaps.'**_

'_Well, you'd better go tell the others, Hiei, so we can decide what to do next now that she's returned.'_

'**_You'd better watch yourself, Kurama. It appears we've been found out,' _**Hiei said into his friend's mind, and gestured to the stirring hanyou just beyond the window. Unseen to the two friends outside the window, Inuyasha's ears were twitching as well.

Kurama nodded and leapt out of the tree, quickly finding a new lookout point where he could not be easily seen, and masked his youki by blending it with the surrounding plants. Hiei approved of his friend's new location, and hurried off to get Yuusuke and Kuwabara.

(End Flashback)

"Oi, Hiei!" the call came up to the branch the youkai was dozing on.

Realizing he'd let himself fall asleep, Hiei growled to himself and leapt from the tree, doing his best to look wide awake.

"Never thought I'd find you sleeping like a baby in public, Hiei," Yuusuke chuckled.

"Yeah, especially in Ningenkai," Kuwabara agreed.

"Hn," Hiei snorted, crossing his arms and closing his eyes in irritation, "Urasai, baka."

Yuusuke laughed and spoke again, "Anyway, Kurama's not out here yet?"

"Iie," the small youkai replied.

Just then, a call came from near the school entrance. "Yuusuke!"

The boy turned at the sound of Keiko's voice and waved her over to where they stood on the edge of the school grounds.

As the girl approached them, he saw a look of disapproval on her face. "Why weren't you here on time this morning, Urameshi Yuusuke!"

Yuusuke gulped. It was never good when she called him by his full name. "Hey, at least I made it to second period. You know I can't help it if I'm called for Reikai business. That Kagome girl came back this morning and we had to have a meeting with Koenma about her right away."

"Kagome came back? What happened? You guys didn't hurt her, did you?"

"Keiko-chan!" Kuwabara exclaimed, putting his hand over his heart, "What kind of men do you take us for? That would go against our honor!"

"Okay, okay, enough with the dramatics, Kuwabara," Yuusuke said. "No, Keiko, we didn't hurt her. We still haven't gotten the chance to question her yet."

"You haven't?" the girl asked. "Why not?"

"Evidently, she has a guard dog," Hiei quipped.

"Nani?" Keiko asked, confused.

"Inuyasha." Kurama answered simply, finally joining his friends.

(Flashback)

Hiei had been gone not even two minutes when Kurama suddenly felt youki again. He sniffed and realized it was Inuyasha.

'_I can smell him **and** sense him now, though I couldn't before. I wonder why.'_

"Come out, yarou, I know you're there." He heard Inuyasha growl. "I'd recognize your scent anywhere, lousy, rose-stinking kitsune."

Knowing he'd been discovered, Kurama jumped down from the tree he'd been sitting in. He watched as Inuyasha's expression grew even angrier.

"What the fuck were you doing in my tree!"

"Your tree? This tree doesn't belong to you. It's a being of nature. It's free."

"You see the fence around it and protection talismans? That's a sacred tree and I'm the only one who gets to sit in it, with the possible exception of Kagome." Remembering why he'd come out in the first place, Inuyasha added, "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I need to speak to Kagome." Kurama answered.

"No chance."

"Listen, I understand your concern, but it's an important matter. I must see her at once." Kurama stated diplomatically.

"And I'm tellin' ya, that's not gonna happen." The hanyou retorted. "Whoever you're workin' for, you can go right back to them and tell them they'll never get what they want, so they can just forget it."

"Can't she speak for herself?" Kurama countered.

"Why bother? The answer will be the same. It's my job to protect Kagome, and I'm not letting her put herself in danger just to talk to some strange kitsune."

Kurama sighed, pulling a rose out from the thickness of his hair. He'd hoped it wouldn't come to this, especially since Kagome did seem to have an attachment to the inu. Plus, now he was tired from lack of sleep and sparring with Hiei. He would try not to injure the hanyou too much in order to get his cooperation. "I'm sorry, I don't want to hurt you if I don't have to, but I cannot leave without Kagome. It's very important that she come with me to Reikai."

"She's not going anywhere with you, especially not this 'Reikai' place, whatever that is. And unless you've got something other than that frilly rose, I don't think you need to worry about hurting me."

"Hmm," Kurama nodded, holding the rose in front of himself, and quickly brandished his rose whip in a flourish. He snapped the whip at Inuyasha and grabbed his sword arm with it, preventing him from drawing the weapon that was on his hip. "Sumimasen, but I must insist I be allowed to speak to Kagome."

Inuyasha growled and tried to tug out of the thorny grip, but the whip, and Kurama's hold on it, held tight. He tried to claw it apart, but the plant was tougher than it looked and remained intact. He tugged again with his arm, and the thorns snapped on the sleeve of his haori, surprising Kurama. He was shocked, in fact, when the next tug from the hanyou caused the wrapped vine to completely break apart. Inuyasha quickly drew Tetsusaiga and pointed the giant transformed fang at the kitsune-boy.

"Like I said, it's not gonna happen. Get outta here now, before I'm forced to use my Tetsusaiga on you. Kagome would really hate it if I had to destroy half her city for one puny kitsune, but she'd get over it. She already knows you and your friends were harassing her family while she was gone, and she's not happy."

Just then, the other three tantei arrived. When Yuusuke and Kuwabara saw that Inuyasha had his sword drawn, they hesitated.

"Careful, guys. Remember what he did to the Makai portal with that thing." Kuwabara cautioned.

"Inuyasha, we're not here to harm her," Yuusuke spoke up, "We just need to talk to her and ask her some things."

"Keh! Yeah, right! I don't know what the hell you two are," the inu-hanyou said, gesturing to the two humans, and then pointed to Kurama and Hiei, "but you two are definitely youkai. And this redhead is a kitsune on top of it. I've learned not to trust kitsune, and there's no chance I'm forgetting that now just because you say you won't hurt her."

"This is pointless." Hiei said and drew his sword. He disappeared suddenly, and, before anyone could stop him, appeared right in front of Inuyasha with his sword ready to strike. Before he made even one slash at the hanyou, however, a flaming pink arrow flew past him, just missing his nose when he stopped dead in his tracks. It hit Goshinboku with a '**_thunk_**' and the pink flame was instantly extinguished.

The four spirit detectives turned towards the direction the arrow had come to see Kagome standing there in her blue pajamas, another arrow already notched and aimed at Hiei.

"That was your warning shot. Leave my shrine now or the next one won't miss!" The raven-haired girl declared firmly.

Kuwabara addressed the girl, "Kagome-chan, you don't understand. I don't know what you think we want, but trust me—''

"Trust you? How can I trust you? I saw your powers on the beach. How do I know you don't intend to use them to attack me and steal it?"

"Steal what?" All four boys asked at once.

"Please, like you don't know," Inuyasha exclaimed incredulously.

"No, we really don't know. In fact, we don't know a lot of things." Kurama answered. "For instance, how did you get into Ningenkai without setting off the monitors in Reikai? What is your purpose for being with Kagome? How were you able to hide your youki before? Why can't I sense any reiki from Kagome, even though I know she has it?"

"Yeah, we have too many unanswered questions. That's the main reason Koenma sent us on this mission to find you." Yuusuke agreed.

Inuyasha growled. "There's that name again, 'Reikai.' What the hell is Reikai?"

"Reikai. You know, Spirit World," Yuusuke answered, "Ruled by King Enma, supervised by Koenma. The place where the souls go to be judged and where criminals from Makai are punished."

Seeing the two teens' confused looks, Kurama stated, "I've never met a youkai that didn't know about Reikai, and especially not one who didn't know about our team. Usually our reputation as Reikai Tantei precedes us to anyone from Makai. How is it that you and Kagome don't know about Reikai, yet she knows about Makai and you know about Ningenkai, Inuyasha?"

"What's this "Makai' and 'Ningenkai' now?" Inuyasha asked. "Kagome, you know what the hell they're talkin' about?"

"No idea." She answered simply, even more confused than before. What made them think she knew what the hell they were talking about?

Hiei didn't believe a word of it. Sneering, he asked, "You don't know about Reikai, Makai, or Ningenkai; yet you fight youkai as if it were second nature and figured out a way to seal the barrier when they escape from Makai? I highly doubt your claimed ignorance."

"Hey, we're telling the truth!" Kagome insisted. "I didn't know where those youkai were coming from. I just knew they were attacking me!"

"See, this is exactly why you need to come with us. We have a lot of things we need you to answer, and obviously you have some things you need to find out from us." Said Yuusuke.

Inuyasha growled at the boy. "Look, I already told flower boy over there she's not goin' anywhere with you guys. She's here to go to school and that's it. She wastes enough time doing that when we have more important things to do, so I forbid her to spend her 'school time' on your bullshit."

"Inuyasha," Kagome began warningly.

"You can't say it now, and you know it, Kagome," he reminded her, knowing she wouldn't risk 'sitting' him while they were having this kind of confrontation.

Kagome growled her human growl in frustration. "Inuyasha, I don't have time for this nonsense. I need to go get ready for school!"

"Like it's my fault they won't leave you alone!" he exclaimed incredulously.

"Look," she said, addressing the tantei, "If I agree to answer your questions later, will you let me go to school now? It's my first day back and I'm already really behind from before."

"I suppose that would be acceptable." Kurama agreed.

"Okay, good. We can meet at the park near here after school at four. Now, will you all please go before my family sees you? They're already worried enough about me without having to think I have stalkers."

Reluctantly, Hiei finally sheathed his sword and the four boys left the shrine and immediately contacted Botan to take them to Koenma.

(End Flashback)

"Wow, she actually shot an arrow at Hiei?" Keiko was shocked and impressed at the same time.

Yuusuke nodded, "Aa, barely missed him, too."

"But, if you didn't actually fight him, what happened to you and Kurama, Hiei?" the girl asked curiously.

"Oh, that? Just a little early morning sparring," Kurama answered, scratching his cheek and grinning sheepishly.

"Oh," was Keiko's intelligent reply, "So I guess you have to go meet her and Inuyasha now, ne?"

"Aa." He repeated.

"Can I come with you?"

"Actually, Keiko, I don't think that'd be a good idea right now. Why don't you take Puu and go to Shizuru's, and I'll meet you there later?" Yuusuke suggested. He'd found out from Shizuru that morning that Keiko had pretty much done that everyday while he'd still been in Makai.

Keiko sighed. "Okay, Yuusuke. I'll see you later then." She kissed him on the lips chastely since they had an audience. Puu had already been in her backpack all day, so she left immediately for Shizuru's apartment.

"So, how did your assignment go, Hiei?" Kurama asked once the girl was gone.

"Depends," the fire apparition answered, shrugging. "I tracked Kagome down to Tokyo Central High School, but there was nothing much out of the ordinary. She met up with those three annoying onna from the beach, and I did hear them say something about her being in some kind of trouble for missing so much school. Then, a disturbingly doting brown-haired boy showed up, making sure she was keeping herself healthy for some reason."

"That sounds like Houjou, her date from the beach party." Yuusuke said, laughing as he remembered the hopeless boy.

"Well, everything seemed pretty normal at her school other than that, so I went back to the shrine to check out Inuyasha since I didn't see him around the school. Nothing really to report from that, either, though it was rather odd to see him helping her grandfather around the shrine."

"Inuyasha was doing chores?" Kuwabara asked, chuckling.

Hiei ignored the interruption. "So then I went to Makai to see if I could find out if anyone had ever seen him or heard of him, since he claims to know nothing about Makai. Pretty much everyone said they didn't know him, but one old guy that overheard me did come up to me in a bar. He said the last time he'd heard the name Inuyasha was as a child when the ancient youkai would tell stories of the good ol' days in Sengoku Jidai. He said there was a story they would tell about an inu-hanyou named Inuyasha that traveled the Musashi countryside with his companions, slaying demons. He said he couldn't remember any of the specifics of the stories, though, because he'd always thought Inuyasha was a traitor to his kind and he didn't like that."

"Well, that's probably not important anyway," Yuusuke commented, "I mean, this Inuyasha is definitely still young for a youkai, and the Inuyasha from those stories would hafta be 500 years old at least, ne?"

"Hai," Hiei confirmed the boy's calculations.

"Well, shall we go meet Kagome?" Kurama suggested.

They all nodded and left for the park.

* * *

_'Damn,'_ Kagome thought to herself as she ran towards the park where she was supposed to meet the tantei. _'I'm already late.'_

Kagome was still at least fifteen minutes away from the park, even with her fast pace, and already ten minutes late. As she ran, she thought of the events that had led to her tardiness.

(Flashback)

After the four boys left the shrine, Kagome and Inuyasha went back inside. Kagome went to get ready for school, while Inuyasha joined Souta in the TV room where the boy was playing a video game. When Kagome returned, the two boys were in a heated battle with their usual on-screen fighters.

Kagome rolled her eyes, but smiled thinking, _'At least they have fun together.'_ She hated to break up their game, but she had to. "Inuyasha, will you come here, please? I need to talk to you."

He followed her to the kitchen, sitting at the table while she made breakfast for the family.

"Inuyasha, I want you to be on your best behavior today, okay? Especially since those guys could still be watching us, we don't need to cause anymore suspicion than we already have. So I want you to dress in modern clothing and help out around the shrine today to avoid trouble."

"Kagome, I already told you I'm not letting you go around by yourself anymore." Inuyasha insisted stubbornly.

"Baka, if I have you following me around here all the time it'll just make things more complicated. What would I tell people about you? How would I explain that I need a bodyguard just to do a regular, everyday thing like going to school? Not to mention the extreme danger we'd be in if anyone found out what you are, or where you're from."

"Well, if it's so dangerous to tell people about me, why'd you agree to tell those people anything, baka!" Inuyasha replied heatedly.

Kagome smacked Inuyasha's hand with her chopsticks when he tried to grab his cup of ramen before the timer went off. "I'm not gonna tell them everything, Inuyasha. I'll answer what I can without giving away the important information," she reassured him, "but I may have to tell them at least a little bit about the jewel."

"Keh, as if they don't already know."

"I don't know, Inuyasha. I think they were telling the truth when they didn't know what we thought they would steal."

"Oh, please, wench, why else would they be after you?"

"I don't know, that's why I'm meeting with them!"

"Well, you're not going alone, that's for sure. I'm going with you."

"Fine, Inuyasha, but you have to stay here until then. I'll tell mama and jii-chan when to send you to the park, ok? I'll show you where it is on my way to school if you promise to come straight back after you walk me there." Then Kagome added, "Oh, I need to put the spells on you and Tetsusaiga before we leave, too."

Inuyasha scoffed at this. "Keh, what's the point? They already know what I am now."

Kagome huffed frustratedly. "They might, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't still be cautious. Besides, you can't be running around Tokyo with a sword in broad daylight!"

Inuyasha gave in, though grudgingly.

The morning had progressed exactly as Kagome planned, and she watched out a school window to make sure Inuyasha really did leave after he dropped her off. She thought once she got to school everything would be smooth sailing, but she was severely mistaken.

No sooner had she sat in her seat at her desk than she'd been surrounded by her three friends. They were immediately asking her questions about the mysterious boys she'd run from, whether she'd begun a double-life, why she couldn't tell them about it herself, and many, many more questions that flew at Kagome but never really sank in. Thankfully, she'd been saved by the teacher calling the class to attention and starting the lesson. However, as soon as the class was over, she was swarmed again.

She gave them the best excuses she could think of, wishing the whole time that she'd spent a little time in the past two weeks thinking of better excuses. Kagome said the boys she had run from had started a fight with Inuyasha. She and Inuyasha found out that the boys were more dangerous than they'd thought at first, and decided it would be best to cut their vacation short before things got worse. Kagome told her friends that she couldn't call them herself because she had gone somewhere where there were no phones, and she'd barely had time to tell Juri and Souta what happened. She'd told Juri to call them and warn them about the boys because she didn't want them to get hurt.

Kagome's lame answers, luckily enough, seemed to appease her friends for the moment however. Kagome had felt very relieved, to say the least. That is, until they started in on her frequent absence from school.

During their lunch period, Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi had again cornered their friend. This time, they told her they needed to have a serious talk with her about her future.

Kagome groaned inwardly as Yuka started the discussion.

"Kagome-chan, we're really worried about you. These past couple of years, you've really been letting your life get out of control. You're absent all the time, and I know you're not really sick. Those crazy excuses you had your poor grandfather tell everyone were only believable for so long before people started getting suspicious. No one said anything before because they thought it wasn't their place, but now I believe it is our duty as your best friends to help you. Whatever it is, Kagome-chan, we're here for you."

"Yuka-chan, you don't need to worry about me. I asked jii-chan not to make all those illnesses up, but he said it was better that way. I can't tell you why I'm gone so much, but I swear there's nothing for you to worry about." Kagome insisted with a forced smile. She wanted the conversation over with.

"Kagome-chan…" Ayumi said, a tone of pity in her voice. She didn't believe there could be nothing to worry about.

"Really, I'm fine!" Kagome exclaimed, waving her hands in a gesture of 'don't worry, it's nothing.'

"Well, there's still the issue of Houjou-kun," Eri added.

Kagome let her groan be audible this time. "Houjou-kun? What about him?"

"I'd say that reaction of yours is a pretty good place to start. Honestly, Kagome-chan, I just don't understand what you see in that two-timer that you'd choose him over Houjou-kun." Yuka proclaimed. "Inuyasha is a possessive, two-timing thug who doesn't consider your feelings, and Houjou-kun is a polite, smart, cute guy who adores you. The choice to us is obvious."

Sighing heavily, Kagome replied, "You guys, I'm glad that you're so concerned about me, but I'm just not interested in Houjou-kun. He's too wishy-washy for me, and way too much of a health nut."

"But Inuyasha—'' Eri began.

"—is a friend! Inuyasha hasn't made any moves towards me, so we are just friends, okay? I still like being with Inuyasha, though, even if we **_are_** just friends, and nothing you say will change that. But, even so, please stop setting me up with Houjou-kun. In the end, all you're going to do is set him up for heartbreak because I can't return his feelings."

"Kagome-chan, you can't ignore your love life forever, though," Ayumi cautioned.

Kagome smiled at her genuine concern. "Don't worry, Ayumi-chan, there's plenty of other guys besides Houjou-kun. Besides, I'm only sixteen, there's plenty of time to worry about guys later, and I really need to concentrate on my studies right now."

"Yeah," Yuka agreed, "speaking of which, there's something else I really need to tell you, Kagome-chan. Before summer break, I heard a rumor that you may be transferred to a different school because of your poor grades and attendance record."

Kagome paled at this news. "How can they do that, though? Wouldn't I have to take another entrance exam?"

The three girls shrugged at their friend. "We don't know," Ayumi answered, "We've been wondering about that as well."

Just as the conversation ended, Houjou came up to Kagome to inquire about her health as usual. He was his usual cheerful, oblivious self, and asked no probing questions about what had happened at the beach. Houjou gave her a basket full of health and body products, which Kagome accepted with the usual forced smile, and he made her promise to take better care of herself. Then he waved goodbye to the four girls as he returned to his classroom.

For the rest of the day, Kagome couldn't concentrate because her thoughts were preoccupied with worries about her future at school. This, of course, didn't help the situation she was worrying about, but she couldn't help it. The only thing she seemed to remember throughout the whole day was the new student that had been introduced to her class that morning.

The teacher had introduced him as Shindo Yukio. When Kagome looked at him she almost gasped, and most of the other girls in the class actually did. He was cute, very cute. He had jet black hair, which wasn't especially uncommon in Tokyo, but it was longer than any of the other boys in school. It cascaded past his shoulders in thick layers, and had a silky quality to it, almost as if you could feel it just by looking at it. His skin was pale and flawless, and his eyes were an odd mixture of ruby red flecked with golden brown. Quite possibly, he was now the cutest boy in her school. Yet, something about him made Kagome feel a little uneasy.

Maybe it was the vacant look on such a pretty face, the way his thin, pale lips and strange eyes seemed to let no emotion cross them, or the way he seemed to stare right into her soul when he looked at her, Kagome wasn't sure. Most likely, though, the creepiest thing about him was the fact that he had not stopped staring at Kagome all day.

That whole morning, she'd felt the prickles of his gaze on her, and it had taken all she had to not jump up and bolt out the door. After lunch, she had art class, and hoped he didn't have it with her. Unfortunately, she had no such luck, and groaned inwardly when he was assigned to the same work table as her. A couple times, she had dared to look back at him, but even that had not deterred him. He stared boldly back, those strange eyes boring into hers, and Kagome quickly turned away as a chill ran up her spine.

She'd been able to avoid him outside of class all day, but at the end of her last class her luck ran out. Kagome was just about to leave the classroom when her teacher called her back.

"Higurashi-san, I need to speak with you, please."

"Hai, sensei?" Kagome said, turning around. Then her heart dropped to her stomach. Yukio was standing by the teacher's desk as well. Kagome approached the desk, leaving as much room as possible between herself and her classmate, who was **_still_** staring at her.

Her teacher, oblivious to Kagome's unease, addressed her, "Higurashi-san, I need to talk to you about your grades."

Kagome held her breath, waiting for him to continue. He started flipping through papers in a file folder.

"According to the scores from your entrance exam, you are a very bright student. Yet, since you started school here, you've missed a lot of school and your grades are severely suffering. If this situation doesn't improve, you may not be able to continue attending this school. So I've arranged for you to work with a tutor."

Kagome let out her breath, relieved that it wasn't something worse. "A tutor, sensei?"

"Hai, Higurashi-san," he answered, then gestured to Yukio, "Shindo-san here just transferred from Kyoto, where he was the top student at his school. He's agreed to tutor you three times a week after school."

The feeling of relief immediately left her as Yukio bowed to her, still keeping his eyes on her. "A-arigatou, sensei. Arigatou, Shindo-kun." Kagome forced herself to say, bowing.

The teacher smiled at her, "I hope this will help you, Higurashi-san. You two have Sougi together today. Why don't you take some time to get to know each other and set up a schedule for your tutoring after you're done with the classroom chores?" He had then left them alone in the room, closing the door.

As they cleaned, Yukio kept trying to ask Kagome about herself. They were normal enough questions. How old was she? Did she have any siblings? What were her favorite classes? When he asked her where she lived, she hesitated, not sure if she wanted him to know. She distracted him by asking him to tell her about himself instead. He told her about his many academic achievements and activities at his old school, but when she asked about him personally, he suddenly grew quiet.

Just as Kagome finished her last chore of sweeping up the floor, Yukio suddenly grabbed her hand, "Higurashi-san, come sit." He then pulled her to a desk and pushed another one up to it, setting them facing each other. He smiled at her as they sat across from each other, working out their schedules. The whole time, however, she kept thinking there was something odd about his smile. It was a nice enough smile, not scary or crooked, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something about it was wrong. She looked at the clock, just to have something to look at other than him, and suddenly remembered she was supposed to meet the detectives in the park.

Kagome apologized to Yukio, saying they'd have to finish figuring out her tutoring schedule tomorrow. Then she grabbed her backpack and ran to her shoe locker to change out of her school slippers and, putting on her regular shoes, she ran full speed towards the park.

(End Flashback)

"Oi, Kagome, where the hell have you been?"

Kagome looked ahead to see Inuyasha standing on the sidewalk in front of her. He was dressed in his modern clothes, just as he'd been when he dropped her off at school, but seemed to have forgotten as he tried to cross his arms in his usual manner. He looked extremely irritated.

"Oh, hi, Inuyasha!" Kagome called, happy to see a friendly face after spending so much time with her creepy classmate. "Gomen nasai, I got held up at school. Did you come to get me?"

"Of course, wench, I thought you might be in trouble!" Inuyasha practically yelled in her face.

Kagome put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "I said I'm sorry, what more do you want? I can't help it that my teacher thinks I should get help studying!"

"Well, come on, already," Inuyasha said, leaning down so she could climb on his back. He then leapt off in the direction of the park to meet the four boys he'd left waiting there.

End Chapter 12

* * *

**_Words First Appearing in Chapter Twelve:_**

**_sumimasen: _**excuse me/I'm sorry

**_Koorime: _**this is the name of the ice kingdom that floats above Makai; it is also the name given to the race of ice maidens that live there; since Hiei's mother was a Koorime, he's half-Koorime as well; in this chapter, Youko uses it to mock Hiei, using it in the "ice maiden" sense of the word.

**_yarou: _**bastard (literally, it means "farm hand" which is, evidently, a huge insult)

**_Sougi:_** chores/cleanup done for about fifteen minutes after the regular school day ends, before after school clubs commence, which students rotate duty on daily

* * *

**_A/N:_** Just a note that, in Japan, most schools group certain students together for all normal academic classes for the whole year. Therefore, instead of the students switching rooms for each class period, the students remain in the same homeroom all day for classes, and the teachers switch rooms. Classes such as music, art, P.E., etc. are generally the only classes they will go to a different room for.

* * *

**_A/N 2:_** MUWAHAHAHAHAAAA! Bet you didn't expect THAT to be how Hiei got his injuries… Anyway, as you probably noticed, it took awhile to update this. Well, as I told you last time, I'm now working on two fics. Also, now that it's getting nicer I'll be busier outside with my son so updates from now on will probably be slow as well, but I will still be working on it! Please stay with me, I promise no matter what I will keep writing! ahem Okay, I think that's all for the author's notes. 

**_Review Replies:_** Thanks to all you guys that read and review! Really, really, your reviews make my day! Sorry I don't have time to say thanks to you all individually, but I'm sure you'd rather me write more on the fic anyway, ne? Just one individual thanks though…

**_Diane:_** Thanks for the correction, never knew that before (obviously).

* * *

Please Read and Review! 


	14. Introductions and Interrogations

Unexpected Ally

Disclaimer: YYH belongs to Yoshihiro Tagashi; IY belongs to Rumiko Takahashi; Unfortunately, I am neither one of them. Pity me!

Chapter 13: Introductions and Interrogations

"That's it," Yuusuke exclaimed, losing his patience, "I'm going after them."

"Just wait a little longer, Yuusuke," Kurama instructed the boy calmly, sitting on a park bench facing the main fountain in the park.

"We've been waiting long enough, kitsune," Hiei commented from where he lay in the grass beside the bench. "What makes you think Inuyasha will actually return with the girl?"

"Kagome said she'd be here, and I believe her. She's only fifteen minutes late, let's just wait a little longer."

Yuusuke paced circles around the fountain impatiently.

"Oi, Urameshi, you're makin' me dizzy," Kuwabara complained from his seat on the edge of the fountain.

The dark-haired boy sat down next to his friend on the fountain, crossed his arms and started tapping his foot as he continued waiting. The other three boys did their best to ignore the irritating action, but their patience was wearing thin. Even Kurama's tolerance of the boy was waning as he felt Youko begin to stir from his long slumber within his mind.

_(What are we all sitting around for?)_ The kitsune asked his host.

_'We're waiting on Kagome.'_

_(Kagome? She's back?)_

_(Aa, we saw her just this morning and made plans to meet her here after school.) _

If it was physically possible, Youko would have made Kurama jump up and run a lap in celebration. As it was, he was still exhausted from the energy he'd used to change forms early that morning, so he tried to be content in letting out a whoop as he leapt within their soul.

Eavesdropping on his friend's mind, Hiei added his voice to the mix. **_'Honestly, fox, this girl is having an adverse effect on your sanity. You're becoming more and more like a kit everyday! What happened to your dignity?'_**

Youko turned his nose up and sniffed at the comment, _(You're just jealous.)_

**_'Of whom, exactly?'_**

_(Kagome; me; you choose.)_

**_'Hn,'_** Hiei remarked dryly. **_'I'm certainly not jealous of anyone that has to deal with that onna.'_**

_(It's settled, then. You're jealous of Kagome because you know she'll have me before you do now.)_

Ignoring the implication, Hiei replied, **_'Aren't you forgetting something, Youko? Like Inuyasha?'_**

_(Merely a slight inconvenience.)_ Youko claimed, mentally waving his hand to shoo away Hiei's remark.

_'He's not actually with Kagome, though, is he?'_ Kurama interjected, _'Yuusuke said that Houjou guy you saw at her school was her date at the beach party, Hiei. If she was with Inuyasha, I doubt he'd be letting her go on dates while he's right there.'_

_(Oh, is that so? This may be even easier than I thought.) _Youko gloated.

Just then, Inuyasha leapt into the park carrying Kagome on his back. Kurama had to stifle a growl from Youko before it escaped his throat as the kitsune noticed the way Inuyasha held Kagome's bare legs to keep her on his back.

All four Tantei stood to greet the girl as Inuyasha set her down on wobbly legs a few paces from where they stood. Kagome smoothed down her uniform and adjusted her backpack before combing her fingers through her messy hair. The Reikai boys were about to say hello when they all noticed the look on her face. Her lips were pressed together in a thin line, jaw set so her teeth were clenched, and her hands were balled into fists at her sides. She had a fire in her eyes, directed towards the hanyou. She didn't even seem to notice that anyone else was there.

* * *

"Baka! Baka, baka, baka! What did I tell you!" Kagome screamed at Inuyasha. 

Inuyasha put his hands up in a gesture pleading for her to calm down. "Kagome, I'm sorry. You were late and we had to hurry! It's not my fault, you know! It's easy to forget all your stupid rules!"

Kagome's eyes grew wide at his words, quickly narrowing practically to slits as she grew angrier. "Inuyasha, O—''

"No, Kagome, you can't! I'm sorry!" His words were lost as she bellowed the rest of the command.

"—SUWARI!"

Inuyasha's prayer beads lit up at the command, yanking him to the ground with the force of Kagome's wrath. The bricks that made up the path cracked underneath him as he slammed into them. "K-Kagome…" the inu-hanyou croaked out, twitching as he struggled against the spell. Luckily, she'd only sat him once and the spell wore off quickly. Springing back to his feet, he exclaimed, "What the hell was that for!"

Kagome had been walking away from him, finally seeming to notice they were in the park, but turned back at the sound of his raised voice. Putting her hands on her hips, she got in his face, "You know what it was for, dog-boy! Next time, maybe you'll watch where you're jumping and not cause a five-car pile-up by landing in front of a car! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" She placed her hand on her chest to feel the still-erratic pace of her heart, demonstrating her point.

"I said I was sorry, what more do you want? You didn't hafta 'sit' me for it! Besides, didn't your mom say not to 'sit' me in public!"

Kagome's death glare left her face, and she covered her mouth as realization hit. She had just 'sat' Inuyasha in the middle of a park, in broad daylight, in front of a group of people that were about to question her about her powers. _'Well, I guess I'll hafta tell them about that as well now.' _She thought, mentally kicking herself.

* * *

All four Spirit Detectives' eyes went wide as Kagome yelled 'osuwari' and Inuyasha crashed to the ground. 

"What the hell just happened!" Yuusuke exclaimed.

"Is that one of her powers?" Kuwabara wondered aloud.

"That's a pretty fucked up power," the dark-haired boy replied.

Hiei spoke slyly to Youko, **_'It looks as though she could keep you in your place, kitsune.'_**

_(Ohhh, if only she would.)_The silver fox purred.

Hiei rolled his eyes. **_'I was wrong, Kurama, he's not a pervert. He's a masochist.'_**

Kurama was ignoring both of them, preferring to pay attention to the scene that was still playing out between Inuyasha and Kagome. He watched their body language, looking for signs of the nature of their relationship. He could see they had a close enough relationship for her to yell at him and not be in danger, but whether it went beyond that Kurama couldn't be sure. He decided he would take his chances with the girl the first opportunity he had. Kurama had to admit, it wasn't only Youko that was interested in her. The silver kitsune's obsession had slowly but surely seeped into Kurama's emotions as well, and he knew he had to at least try for her. After all, Youko was right, he couldn't stay a virgin forever, and, quite frankly, he didn't want to.

* * *

When Inuyasha and Kagome finally settled down, they walked together to the fountain where the four boys they'd come to meet stood. Suddenly, a girl with blue hair and a pink kimono appeared out of thin air in front of Kagome, causing her to jump back against Inuyasha in surprise. 

"Hi!" The girl greeted them cheerfully, apparently unaware that she'd just given the girl her second near-heart attack of the day. "Higurashi Kagome, ne?"

"H-hai…" Kagome replied uncertainly. She was even more confused when she realized the girl was floating in midair on an oar.

"I'm Botan," the blue-haired girl said, grinning.

"What're you doing here, Botan?" Yuusuke asked as he walked up behind the ferry girl.

"Oh, hi, Yuusuke," Botan greeted, "hey, guys." She waved to the other three boys that were approaching her as well.

"Hello, Botan. We weren't expecting you." Said Kurama.

"Well, you told Koenma you were going to be meeting Kagome-chan here, so he sent me to come get you so she can be questioned in Reikai." The girl answered.

At these words, Inuyasha quickly put Kagome behind him protectively. "You're not taking Kagome anywhere. She said she'd meet you here to answer your questions, and this is exactly where she's stayin'."

"You must be Inuyasha," Botan stated, unaffected by the hanyou's anger.

Inuyasha growled at the smiling girl, "How the fuck does everyone know us, but I barely know these two bastards, Yuusuke and Kuwabara?"

"Now, now, there's no need for foul language, Inuyasha. It's simple," Botan answered, "Ever since the boys realized you two, or, more precisely, Kagome-chan, were who they were looking for, we've all become familiar with your names in Reikai."

"And why, exactly, have you been looking for Kagome?" Inuyasha demanded to know.

"Well, we'll get to that in a bit. First, I need to escort you all to Koenma's office so we can conduct this properly. So, please, follow me." Botan jumped off her oar, grabbed its handle with two hands, jabbed the end into the air above her head, and dragged it down to her feet. Suddenly, the world ripped slightly and a hole slightly larger than a person appeared.

"Get back, Kagome!" Inuyasha ordered as he drew his Tetsusaiga from its invisible scabbard. He aimed the mighty sword at the portal, ready for anything.

"Whoa, where'd that sword come from!" Kuwabara exclaimed.

"That's my business, isn't it?" Inuyasha bit out, still prepared for battle.

Botan sweatdropped. "Don't worry; this is a Reikai portal, not a Makai one. See? You can come look in it yourself."

Inuyasha cautiously peered into the portal and saw, instead of the swirling black he was used to, pink sky and yellow clouds above a long stone path leading to what looked like a castle. He took a sniff and realized it didn't smell of foul miasma as the others had, either. Not to say it smelled good, as it vaguely reminded him of Kikyou's stale earth smell after her resurrection; but it was tolerable. Still, he didn't quite trust it.

Raising an eyebrow skeptically, Inuyasha spoke to the group. "We're not going near anymore 'portals', so you can get that idea out of your head right now."

Finally, the unflinching cheerfulness of the ferry girl slipped a little as she frowned. "Oh, dear, this won't do at all. Koenma-sama will be very cross if I can't deliver Kagome-chan for questioning. Perhaps… hmm, no… maybe… ah, that won't work either…"

"Surely Koenma won't mind if we discuss things right here," Kurama suggested.

Botan looked at the redheaded boy, "But he really wanted to be there for it. She was his responsibility, after all."

"Hey," Kagome interrupted, "hello, over here, remember me? Don't I get a say in this? I don't even know what you guys are talking about, but you suddenly think you can make decisions about me? Who are you anyway!"

Kurama laughed nervously in apology. "Ah, sumimasen, Kagome-chan. Let us introduce ourselves. I am Kurama," he said, gesturing to himself with a hand on his chest and a small bow, then pointed out the others, "That's Hiei, and I believe you've already met Yuusuke and Kuwabara-kun."

"And you're… Botan?" Kagome asked the pink-kimono-clad girl.

"Hai, that I am!" Botan agreed, her smile returning.

"So what is it that you all do? How do you have such strange powers?"

"One could say you have strange powers, as well, Kagome-chan," Kurama countered smoothly.

"Are you gonna stand around chatting all day, or can we get this interrogation over with?" Hiei piped up irritably.

"Yes, won't you please come, Kagome-chan?" Botan pleaded.

Inuyasha got in the girl's face, growling through clenched teeth, "She's. Staying. Right. Here!"

Botan sighed dramatically. "Okay, just wait here, I'll be right back." And with that, she hopped back on her oar and flew through the portal, which closed soon afterwards.

Yuusuke took a look around at everyone and said, "Well, we might as well make ourselves comfortable while we wait." He walked back over to his spot at the fountain and sat down. Kuwabara did the same, and Hiei returned to his spot in the grass, sitting with his arms resting on his bent knees.

Kagome started to follow suite, but Inuyasha grabbed her arm to stop her. Kurama, once again, had to control Youko's possessive reaction. Kagome momentarily felt a small twinge of extra youki and looked around curiously, trying to feel where it was coming from. She was very confused when it seemed to have come from Kurama, because it felt different from the youki she'd already noticed from him. Deciding she must've imagined it, Kagome turned to address Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, stop being ridiculous. What harm is there in si—" she caught herself before finishing the spell word, and quickly reworded herself, "**_waiting_** with them? They haven't tried anything yet, even though they've had plenty of chances. Maybe they're not so bad." She pulled her arm out of his grasp and walked over to the bench to sit down.

"Keh!" was Inuyasha's only reply. He glared at Kurama as Kagome passed him. Something about the kitsune didn't sit well with Inuyasha, but he wasn't sure what it was. Finding nothing he could legitimately complain about at the moment, he decided to follow Kagome.

Hiei eyed Inuyasha suspiciously as he sat beside Kagome. He knew he'd sensed youki from him earlier that morning, but all traces of it were gone now; hidden once more. He thought of the way Inuyasha's sword had been invisible until he'd drawn it, and grew even more irritated. **_'How is he doing it?'_** He thought to himself. Hiei tapped into the powers of his Jagan eye, planning to creep into the hanyou's mind to search for his own answers. Just as he did so, however, Botan popped back into Ningenkai. She had a passenger on her oar as well.

"Oi, Botan, you brought the toddler with you!" Yuusuke complained when he saw the Junior Ruler.

Botan looked reprovingly at the boy. "I told you he wanted to do the interrogation, and since they won't come to Reikai, he decided to come here."

"Right," Koenma agreed, "And don't call me toddler!"

"Feh, whatever," Yuusuke replied noncommittally.

Koenma walked over to where Kagome sat and looked the girl over. "Higurashi Kagome?"

"Hai," she answered, trying not to laugh as the pacifier in his mouth bobbed when he spoke.

"Who the hell are you?" Inuyasha barked, scowling down at the chibi.

"I am Koenma. You must be Inuyasha," Koenma stated, crossing his arms as he inspected the hanyou as well. "I will be overseeing the questioning of Kagome—''

"Wait, **_you're_** doing the questioning!" Inuyasha exclaimed incredulously. No way was a pacifier-sucking toddler really in charge of this shit.

"Yes," Koenma replied irritably, "Now, why don't we find a spot where we can all sit down and conduct this comfortably?"

"There are some tables over there, Koenma," Kurama suggested, pointing to a section of the park set up for convenient picnics. "There aren't too many people in that area, either, so we'll have plenty of privacy for our discussion."

The group walked to the tables, though Inuyasha needed a bit of coaxing, and everyone sat down. The Yuu Yuu boys sat on one side, Inuyasha and Kagome sat on the other, Botan sat beside Kagome, and Koenma stood on the table so he'd have a better vantage point for running things.

"First of all, let us introduce ourselves properly. I am Koenma," Koenma said, bowing. "Botan, here, is one of my assistants in the Reikai offices and she is also a Spirit Guide. Do I understand correctly that you have never heard of Reikai?"

Kagome nodded while Inuyasha just stared at the toddler that seemed to be in charge of the full-grown boys he sat across from.

"Okay, well basically, Reikai is the Otherworld, or Spirit Realm. We're in charge of everything concerning death, judgment, and reincarnation. It is also my job to make sure the barriers between the three worlds are not breached, and when they are I assign detectives to investigate the matter and fix it. Occasionally, there are other cases the detectives are assigned to as well. Yuusuke, Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara are the current Reikai Tantei."

Inuyasha snorted a laugh, "Are you trying to tell me a baby sucking a pacifier bosses around these four guys, rules over some Spirit Realm, and controls everything that goes on in other realms?"

Koenma's mouth twisted into a scowl behind his pacifier, and he wagged his finger at the hanyou, "Listen here, I'm no baby."

"You look like one to me," Inuyasha interrupted. "And what's with that damn pacifier? You don't even bother taking it out to talk! Why don't you let the big people handle this?"

Koenma growled frustratedly, "My pacifier is none of your concern! It serves a greater purpose than what it appears. And this body may appear young, but let me assure you, I am several centuries old. I am perfectly capable of handling matters my father doesn't see fit to concern himself with personally."

"Your father?" Kagome asked, preventing Inuyasha from continuing the argument. She also thought the appearance of the boy questioning her was weird, but considering the things she'd seen in the past year or so, the shock was mild.

Botan answered her, "Hai, Enma Daioh-sama is the Supreme Ruler of all of Reikai."

Kagome looked at the boys sitting across from her, "And you work for him?"

Kurama answered her, emerald eyes capturing sapphire, "Koenma has assigned us to assist Yuusuke as the official Reikai Tantei."

Kagome was mesmerized by those sparkling green eyes for a moment before she came to her senses and addressed Koenma. "You said 'three worlds' but you've only mentioned Reikai. What are the other two?"

"Ningenkai, or Human Realm, and Makai, or Demon Realm," Koenma answered simply.

"Why haven't I ever heard about them before?" Kagome wondered aloud.

"We were wondering the same thing," Botan answered. "Normally, knowledge about the existence of Reikai and Makai is kept from humans. However, seeing as how you have strong reiki, and you're friends with Inuyasha, it's a bit confusing that you both seem to be in the dark about these things."

"Yes," Koenma agreed, "So, now that we've introduced ourselves, why don't you tell us about you?"

Kagome felt a bit apprehensive. She was being questioned by the son of the Great King of Reikai and his Reikai Tantei, yet she couldn't be sure if it was completely safe to tell them the whole truth. She'd never told anyone in her time the whole truth before, and she wasn't about to start with these people she'd just met.

"Ano… that is… what do you want to know?" the raven-haired girl asked tentatively. Maybe if she simply answered questions she could merely leave out the subject of time travel rather than trying to blatantly lie about herself.

"Well, why don't we start with how you came into your powers?" Koenma suggested.

"Okay, well it was a little over a year ago, on my fifteenth birthday," Kagome began, "I was on my way to school when I was attacked by a large centipede youkai. She grabbed me and I panicked and tried to protect myself with my hands. I saw a pink light flash and suddenly the arms that had been holding me had detached and I fell away from her. I guess that's when I got my powers." She finished with a shrug.

'_Okay, so far so good,'_ Kagome thought as Koenma nodded to her explanation.

"How exactly did you become friends with Inuyasha?" Hiei asked suddenly.

Kagome paused. _'Okay, how can I explain this one?'_ She stole a glance at Inuyasha, but found no help there as he seemed to be waiting to hear her answer as well. Sighing, she answered, "Inuyasha happened to be in the right place at the right time and helped me kill Mistress Centipede. Ever since then, he's stayed with me to protect me."

Hiei scoffed at this. "So you just decided to hang around a ningen onna out of the goodness of your heart?" he asked Inuyasha skeptically.

"What's so hard to believe about that!" Inuyasha demanded.

'_Heh, that's not what you did anyway, Inuyasha,'_ Kagome thought to herself.

Hiei narrowed his eyes at the hanyou. "It's not in a youkai's nature to do such a thing."

"I thought Kurama said Inuyasha is a hanyou," the formerly silent Kuwabara piped up.

"Aa, you are an inu-hanyou, ne, Inuyasha?" Kurama asked, knowing the answer already.

Inuyasha nodded.

"Ah, is that why you were in Ningenkai undetected? Did you have a human mother that had you in Ningenkai?" Kuwabara proposed.

'_Ooh, an easy out!'_ Kagome rejoiced to herself, and elbowed Inuyasha slightly to encourage his answer.

"Y-Yeah," Inuyasha said, stumbling on the word when Kagome elbowed him. He flashed a glare at her before anyone else noticed.

"I got a question for ya," said Yuusuke, looking at Kagome. "If you got your powers over a year ago, how come it wasn't picked up on the monitors until just a few weeks ago?"

Kagome didn't know how to answer. She knew why it wouldn't have been detected; she'd only been using her powers in Sengoku Jidai. She wasn't about to volunteer that information, however. "I don't know. I mean, I haven't really gotten the hang of my powers yet, so I didn't really start using them until recently when I started getting attacked." Kagome hoped her answer was good enough to appease them.

"Do you know why you're being attacked? Or who's behind the attacks?" Koenma asked.

Inuyasha growled, "You think if we knew we'd be sitting here talkin' to you idiots instead of finding the bastard that's behind the attacks!"

"Oi, chill out, Inuyasha," Yuusuke said. "We've been trying to figure out what's been going on, so it was worth a try to ask."

"So you have no idea why they were after you?" Kurama inquired.

Kagome shook her head wordlessly.

Hiei raised a brow, the Jagan sensing she wasn't being completely truthful. "What about whatever it was that you thought we were trying to steal this morning?"

This sparked Koenma's interest, "Eh, what did you think they were going to steal?"

"N-Nothing," Kagome stuttered, "I was tired; I didn't know what I was saying."

"You weren't too tired to shoot an arrow at me," Hiei replied bitterly.

Botan decided to intervene. "Kagome-chan, you don't have to worry. Whatever it is, we won't take it from you, but we need to know so we can put an end to these attacks."

Kagome dropped her head in defeat. She'd slipped up and given them enough information to make them curious; she might as well tell them now. "The… the Shikon no Tama." She answered, still hesitant.

Koenma, Kurama, and Hiei all gasped.

"That doesn't exist anymore," said Koenma, sucking slightly on his pacifier.

"Keh, you think she'd make up something like that?" Inuyasha questioned irritably.

"How did you come into possession of the Shikon no Tama?" Kurama asked, the eagerness of Youko's voice seeping into his own a bit.

"I… I found it," Kagome lied, "When Mistress Centipede attacked me, I found it after Inuyasha killed her for me."

"What's the Shikon no Tama?" Kuwabara wanted to know.

"It's a very powerful jewel that hasn't existed for over 500 years." Koenma answered.

Yuusuke looked at Kagome, "And you found it?"

Kagome could feel herself starting to sweat under the pressure. She nodded.

Inuyasha saw that the questioning about the jewel would be endless unless he did something. Realizing his anger hadn't deterred their curiosity, he decided to use a different tactic. He changed the subject. "You said before that you were looking for Kagome. What for?"

"Well, it's a bit complicated, Inuyasha," Koenma began. "Basically, when her reiki showed up on the monitors in my office, it reminded me of a case that had never been solved. I sent Yuusuke and the boys to find the owner of the reiki, in hopes that it would solve the case, and the owner just happened to be Kagome."

"So your case is solved now?" Kagome questioned Koenma.

"Well, we do still need confirmation. Botan, if you would please…" Koenma addressed the girl, handing her a strange device that looked to Kagome like a cross between a taser and the dragon radar from Dragonball Z.

It had several buttons and dials on it, and the device beeped when Botan pushed one of the top buttons. The lights under the radar screen each flashed once to test that they were working. One light flashed blue, the second yellow, the third red.

"Kagome, will you please stand up for me for a second?" Botan asked after she'd made sure the device was working properly.

Kagome did so, though she looked confused, and grew even more confused as the blue-haired girl turned a dial and pointed it at her. The taser-looking prongs at the top glowed blue momentarily and Kagome felt apprehensive before Botan began sweeping it over her. She started at Kagome's head, holding the radar a few inches from Kagome's body, and swept it down slowly. It reminded Kagome of the way she'd seen security guards sweep for guns. No sound came from the device, though the yellow light flashed steadily. Suddenly, when Botan ran it over her heart during her second sweep, it began beeping and flashing blue. Kagome jumped in surprise from the sudden noise and light.

All four Spirit Detectives had to quickly grab hold of Inuyasha before he was able to snatch the noisy object and destroy it. Botan didn't even notice the disturbance as she brought the screen up to her face to see the reading there. She pushed two more buttons, turned another dial, waited for the prongs to glow, and repeated the scan of Kagome. Once again, nothing happened until she brought it over Kagome's heart. She pushed a button to save the data, and said, "Koenma-sama, are you sure this works properly?"

"Well, it **_is_** a prototype, Botan, but it was working just fine when we tested it this morning."

"What is that thing, anyway?" Yuusuke wondered.

"It's for measuring ki," Botan answered. "The yellow light indicates normal ningen life force, the blue indicates reiki, and the red is for youki. This screen here tells me the strength of the ki. It's odd, though, because Kagome-chan has an extremely high reiki level, but it seems to only be concentrated in the center of her soul. Normally it would be spread throughout the entire soul and gradually intertwine itself with the body."

"What is the reading?" Koenma asked.

Botan brought up the screen with the two sets of saved data and showed it to the miniscule ruler. Koenma looked at the readings, eyes widening, then walked across the table to where Kagome now sat. He looked in her eyes, drawing his face ever closer as he seemed to search for something there. Then, just as his pacifier touched her nose, he gasped and pulled his face back as he apparently found what he'd been looking for.

"Kikyou-sama!" he exclaimed, though barely above a whisper in his shock. In theory, he'd been expecting this, but it was still surprising to finally find her within this young girl.

Both Kagome and Inuyasha gasped as well at his words. Kagome scrambled off her seat, away from the wide, childlike, brown eyes still staring at her. Inuyasha stood and grabbed Koenma by the front of his shirt, yanking him up to his face to demand, "How the hell do you know that name!"

"Oi, you put him down!" Botan yelled, smacking him in the back of the head with her oar. "For Kami-sama's sake, show some respect!"

Inuyasha instantly dropped Koenma and got in Botan's face, "Temee…"

Yuusuke and Kuwabara quickly held Inuyasha back and Botan helped Koenma up. Kurama and Hiei were the only ones with their attention on Kagome, who seemed to be in some sort of shock. Her face was blank and her eyes seemed glazed over in some sort of haze, seemingly unaware of anything that was going on around her anymore as she stared blankly past the two youkai. Hiei saw Kurama's concerned frown and instantly made his decision.

* * *

It seemed to happen in slow motion to Kagome. Koenma's big, watery, brown eyes widened as they bored into her eyes. "Kikyou-sama!" Kagome's heart dropped to her stomach, and her stomach, in turn, decided to leap into her throat. She couldn't breathe, she could barely move, yet somehow she managed to stumble off the bench and regain her balance on her feet a few feet away. Everything around her blurred as she mentally repeated to herself, _'No, no, no! Not here, too! Isn't it enough that I have to live in her shadow in Inuyasha's time!'_

Kagome suddenly felt an overwhelming sadness, believing she would never be able to be just Kagome ever again. She felt suffocated by the crowd of people that would now surely start asking her questions about Kikyou, and she couldn't stand it anymore. Kagome didn't even stop to think, she just let her body move on its own. She ran.

End Chapter 13

* * *

**_A/N:_** Omgoddess! Soooooooo sorry it's been so long! Quite the busy summer it's been, family and my 2-yr-old and visitors, blah blah blah. Yeah, anyway, I won't bore ya with my excuses, just know I'm sorry! (sweatdrops) Plus, my lateness probably won't end here… gomen! But I am still writing this, don't worry, you'll just hafta try to put up with my snail's pace updates for a lil bit though. 

Anyway, I wanna thank everybody for their reviews and for continuing reading! Please stay with me! I don't wanna take any longer to put this up, so not gonna do individual replies now. Maaaaaaaybe next time…

As for Japanese definitions… don't think I have any new ones in here… if I do, sorry again. Just let me know.


	15. Kagome, The Runaway Miko

Unexpected Ally

Disclaimer: YYH belongs to Yoshihiro Tagashi; IY belongs to Rumiko Takahashi; Unfortunately, I am neither one of them. Pity me!

Chapter 14: Kagome, The Runaway Miko

When Kagome ran, Kurama tried to chase after her. However, she felt his presence before he got close enough to catch her, and she let her reiki flare out towards him. Faced with a wall of sparking and crackling pink energy, Kurama held back.

"Just let me go!" Kagome pleaded as she ran out of the park.

"Kagome! Wait!" he called out to her, but she was already gone. Kurama returned to the others, who were still by the picnic tables in the middle of the park. He was planning to demand answers from Inuyasha about Kagome's reaction to Kikyou's name, but when he got back to the group, things were a bit too hectic for his plans.

Inuyasha was being restrained by Yuusuke and Kuwabara as he and Koenma yelled at each other. Koenma was waving his arms and pointing at the young hanyou as he yelled at him about being disrespectful. Botan was trying to calm the red-faced Koenma down, to no avail. If anyone had been walking by at that moment, they might have found it quite entertaining.

However, the only witnesses to the ridiculous scene were the other two members of the group. Hiei stood off a few feet to the side of the skirmish, unconcerned with the ruckus his companions were causing. He saw Kurama return and gave him a look, clearly surprised that Kurama hadn't returned with Kagome. Kurama's shoulders slumped a little as he shook his head in answer, and he came over to stand with Hiei. They stood side by side, facing the fray between Inuyasha and Koenma. Though it looked like they were watching, they were actually too wrapped up in their mental conversation to take much notice.

**_'Kagome isn't telling us the whole truth.'_** Hiei spoke into Kurama's mind, peering at him from the corner of his eye.

_'I figured that already,'_ the kitsune-boy replied. Kurama's eyes suddenly went wide with realization, but he kept staring straight ahead rather than turning to his friend. _'You used it, didn't you?'_

Hiei's silence was answer enough.

Kurama put his hands in his pockets. _'What did you find out?'_

**_'She was thinking that she didn't want to live in 'her' shadow here as well as in Inuyasha's time.'_**

_'Inuyasha's… time?'_

Hiei shrugged. **_'That's what she was thinking.'_**

_(Wait, could it be_…?) Youko's voice suddenly spoke.

_'Could it be what?' _Kurama questioned his other self.

_(Kurama, let me ask Koenma something.)_

**_'Just tell him what it is, kitsune, and he can ask Koenma.'_**

_'It's okay, Hiei. I'm letting him.'_

Youko exerted a bit of his youki and stretched out his consciousness, threading himself through Kurama's human body more in order to control it. He stepped forward towards the fray between the Junior Ruler and the hanyou, and soon stood a mere foot from the two. They took no recognition of him, however, and continued their cursing at each other. Inuyasha was demanding Koenma tell him what he knew about Kikyou, and Koenma was insisting he prove how it was any of his business. They finally shut up when Youko used Kurama's voice to speak.

"You never did really destroy them, did you?" He didn't look at either of them when he spoke, and his tone was calm, but it got their attention nonetheless. His sudden presence and calm manner amidst their fighting was unexpected. Youko allowed a small smirk to quirk up Kurama's lips as Inuyasha and Koenma both went, "Huh?"

Youko picked up Koenma by the back of his shirt and set him on the table again. Then he put a foot up on the bench and leaned on his knee to question Koenma face to face. "You never did really destroy them, did you?" he repeated.

Koenma eyed Kurama suspiciously, wondering if he was truly dealing with the boy or if Youko was speaking to him now. It was something he wondered often, ever since he'd found out the youkai fox was still a conscious presence in Kurama's mind. "Never destroyed what, exactly?" Koenma asked, crossing his arms and pouting behind his pacifier.

"The Artifacts of Ages," Youko spoke from Kurama's mouth.

Koenma's mouth dropped open, causing him to almost lose his pacifier, but he quickly recovered. "What do you know about the Artifacts of Ages?"

"Che, please Koenma," Youko replied haughtily, sticking his nose up, "Do not insult the greatest thief in Makai that way! I know plenty, of course."

Koenma's eyebrow lifted at the condescending attitude in his answer. _'That definitely had to be Youko just now.'_

"What I **_do not_** know is why Reikai would possibly keep them around when they were declared too dangerous?" Youko added. "The Artifacts of Ages were supposed to be destroyed over 500 years ago, so why is it that there is at least one still in existence?"

"What makes you think that?" Koenma asked.

Youko used Kurama's hand to grab the collar of Koenma's shirt, glaring him down. "Do not play dumb with me, Koenma-**_sama_**. Hiei's Jagan heard her thinking about 'Inuyasha's time.' If they are traveling through time, there is at least one Artifact left."

Koenma's eyes grew wide and he turned his head to look at Inuyasha. "Is this true, Inu—" but the hanyou was no longer there, "—ya...sha…? Where'd he go?"

"I believe he realized Kagome was gone and chased after her," Hiei answered boredly.

"Very well," the Junior Ruler said, addressing his Tantei, "Kurama, I'm sorry, but I'll have to answer your questions about the Artifacts later. Right now, you four need to look for Kagome and Inuyasha. When you find both of them, contact Botan. Botan, you come with me."

"Hai, Koenma-sama!" the blue-haired girl exclaimed. She produced her oar and waited for Koenma to get on before flying off for Reikai.

"Okay, this'll go faster if we split up," Yuusuke began when Botan and Koenma left, "Kurama, you and Hiei go east. Kuwabara and I will go west. Botan left a couple communicators for us so we can contact her and each other when we find them."

Communicators in hand, the four teammates nodded to each other before the two pairs went their separate ways.

* * *

Inuyasha cursed all the weird scents of Kagome's time as he searched the city for her. He ran over grass and concrete, leapt onto buildings, desperately seeking her. He could only imagine the thoughts that must be running through her head right now after what had just happened with those detectives. 

_'And I was too busy yellin' at that damn baby to notice she'd left! What the fuck is wrong with me? It's not safe for her to be running off by herself like this!'_

His self-made guilt trip urged him to go even faster, though he still hadn't been able to pick up her scent amidst the industrial smells of modern day Tokyo.

* * *

"So, how was your first day back, Keiko-chan?" the sandy-haired Shizuru asked her younger friend as they walked down the sidewalk in front of some small local shops. The girls had gotten bored waiting for the boys to show up at Shizuru's apartment, and had started their walk about ten minutes before. Keiko was carrying Puu in her arms so the spirit beast could get some fresh air. 

The shorter, darker-haired girl turned her head at the sound of her name, looking slightly dazed, "Hmm? Oh, it was fine, Shizuru-san."

Shizuru paused in her walking and sat down on a bench outside a bookstore. Across the street, there was a small restaurant with four tables outside. Only one table had anyone sitting at it, and it was only one person drinking tea. Looked like a high school boy from where Shizuru sat; most likely an underclassman. He appeared to be working on homework, but when Shizuru noticed a wavy light flashing across his pale face, she realized he also had a small mirror out. _'Now, that's odd,'_ she thought to herself, _'What kind of boy sits around staring in a mirror? But he **is** rather cute. Maybe he's just a bit conceited.' _She shrugged the oddity off.

Shizuru got herself a cig from the box in her jacket and lit it before calling out to the girl that was still walking, "Oi, Keiko-chan!" She waited for the girl to sit down with her before continuing, "Did the boys actually make it to class? I heard Kazuma sneak out early this morning, before his alarm went off. I swear, if that little brother of mine didn't go to class after making me wake up three hours early to turn off his blaring alarm, which he so kindly forgot to turn off, I'll kill him." A corner of Shizuru's mouth twitched as she exhaled her smoke slowly, a small smirk at her threat.

"Oh, hai, they made it. They missed their first classes, I think, but they were there most of the day." The darker-haired girl glanced nervously across the street, quickly turning her gaze back to her friend when she met the cold, empty gaze of the boy sitting at the table there. A moment later, the boy paid for his tea, gathered his books under his arm, put his mirror in his pocket, and left. Once he was finally out of sight, Keiko seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Shizuru noticed Keiko's reaction and it spurred her on with her interrogation. She needed to know. "Did Yuusuke tell you anything about what they've found out? Do they even know what's going on yet!"

Keiko's eyes flashed wide at Shizuru's sudden outburst, but quickly returned to normal. "No, I couldn't get much out of them. I do know they went to see Kagome-chan after school."

"So, they finally found her, eh?"

"Mm," Keiko replied with a slight nod of her head, "just this morning evidently. She agreed to talk to them after school today. That's where they are now." Keiko smiled brightly at the older girl, but Shizuru could tell it was a façade. Shizuru couldn't really blame her, though. Something weird was going on, they could sense it, but they didn't know what **_it_** was.

And, oh yes, they could**_ both_** sense it. Keiko's senses about these things weren't as strong as Shizuru's. In fact, they were still pretty weak. After all, Shizuru had been born with the ability, but Keiko had built it up gradually. It was most likely a byproduct of being surrounded by people with heightened abilities for the past couple years. They couldn't confirm it, since the girls, including Botan, had decided not to tell anyone about Keiko's rei kan for the time being. With all that was going on, they didn't need to add one more thing to the pile. It wasn't that important right now. Still, Shizuru was sure Keiko's strengthening skill in the use of her rei kan was due to the various types of ki and other supernatural abilities she'd been exposed to by hanging around Yuusuke.

_'That's what happened to Maya, after all.' _Shizuru thought, taking a long drag on her cigarette as she watched people pass by on the sidewalk, remembering when she'd first learned about the girl. It had been during one of the first of many conversations she'd shared with Kurama during the time they'd known each other.

(Flashback)

"You don't let too many regular ningen get to know you, do you? Especially onna. I noticed you completely ignore those girls that follow you from your school." Shizuru asked the kitsune-boy sitting on the opposite end of the couch from her. He was waiting for her brother and Yuusuke to show up.

"I can't risk it," the crimson-locked boy said, shaking his head at the girl. She swore she heard a trace of regret behind his words before he spoke again. "Besides, those onna at school are extremely irritating."

She chuckled at his last remark. Then, picking up on what he hadn't said, Shizuru asked, "What happened in your past to make it such a risk?"

Kurama remained silent for awhile. He looked contemplative, though, and Shizuru kept waiting. She had a feeling he would still answer. If she were any other female, he might've just ignored her. But Shizuru and Kurama had developed a bond since he'd been coming around more often, and they'd found they enjoyed each other's conversation. Finally, just as she started to doubt that he actually would answer, Kurama spoke.

"Maya," he answered softly.

"Maya?" the girl questioned.

"When I was 14, I did have a ningen onna I was friends with. Katajima Maya. Incidentally, she also had a crush on me; in fact, she said I was her first love, but she was a good friend and I didn't mind. Maybe I even returned her feelings a little bit; I didn't get a chance to find out."

"What happened to her?"

"Maya had a natural sixth sense, but it wasn't very developed until I showed up. My presence around her enhanced it to the point where she not only sensed things; she could see and hear them also. One day, a servant of a nasty demon called Yatsude came across her and kidnapped her. Yatsude wanted her for the power that eating a spiritually-rich girl would give him. After all was said and done, I was able to rescue her in time, but I had to erase her memory so she wouldn't be traumatized. Letting her remember would've left her vulnerable to more attacks in the future, so I used dream flower pollen to make her believe it was all a dream."

(End Flashback)

_'That's right; knowledge about beings of Makai can be very dangerous.'_ Shizuru thought to herself as she came out of her memory. _'But Keiko-chan's always been at least a little aware when there was something odd going on. She knows what the boys do for Reikai, so she knows a little of what to expect. We both do after all we've been through with them.'_

"Well, you ready to go?" the lighter-haired girl asked her friend, finishing up her smoke. She dropped the butt to the sidewalk as she stood, and ground it out with her heel.

"Hai," Keiko answered, and the two girls continued their walk.

* * *

Kagome didn't know where she was going. The only thought that moved her body was, 'Run!' So she did. She ran and ran, trying to outrun her tears; escape the ache in her heart. She'd expected to have constant reminders of Kikyou in the Sengoku Jidai, but why did the dead miko's memory have to follow her through the well? 

_'Of course, top it all off with Inuyasha going ballistic over the mere mention of her name.'_ Kagome's heart sank even more at this thought, and she pushed herself to run even faster. She let everything blur by, not that she could've seen through her tears anyway.

Suddenly, she ran right into somebody, hitting them with such force that she bounced back and landed on her butt.

"S-Sumimasen," Kagome apologized as she accepted an offered hand, then she gasped as she stood up and met red eyes, speckled with gold.

"Don't worry about it, Higurashi-san," Yukio replied, picking up the books he'd dropped. "Daijoubu ka?"

Kagome nodded, trying to smile, "Daijoubu."

He took in her ruffled appearance, her breathlessness, her tear-stained face, and he frowned slightly. "You look like you've had a rough afternoon. Please allow me to walk you home."

"Oh, no, that's okay, I don't want to trouble you," Kagome politely refused. "Really, I'll be fine."

Yukio shook his head. "Nonsense, it's no trouble. I insist."

Kagome could tell from the look on his face that he wouldn't take no for an answer on this one. Sighing to herself, she accepted his 'offer' and the two teens started off in the direction of Higurashi Shrine.

* * *

Botan and Koenma reached his office in Reikai a matter of minutes after they left Ningenkai. As soon as he opened the door to his office, he called to George. 

"George, is my father in today?"

"Hai, Koenma-sama, I believe he is." The blue oni answered with an enthusiastic bow.

"Please make sure. And, if he is, set up a meeting with him for me as soon as possible. There's an important matter that has just come to my attention that I must address immediately, and only my father can answer my questions."

"Hai, Koenma-sama." And with that, George left on his assignment.

"Botan!" Koenma called to get her attention.

"Hai, Koenma-sama?" the girl replied.

"I need you to get all the files on Reikai Protected Artifacts delivered to this office, and set aside anything that mentions manipulation of time. Make a pile of those files on my desk. Then I want you to wait here for word from Yuusuke."

Botan nodded her understanding before Koenma left to make himself more presentable for his father. Within fifteen minutes, he was standing outside his father's door waiting to be allowed in.

"Enter!" a deep voice bellowed from within. Koenma obeyed.

"Ah, Koenma, my son," King Enma greeted in the same deep voice, "I hear you have something important to discuss with me?"

"Hai, otou-sama," Koenma began, "I need to ask you about the Artifacts of Ages."

King Enma looked slightly surprised at these words, then he sighed and motioned for Koenma to take a seat. "Well, I knew this day would come eventually. Let me guess, it has something to do with that big case you have your Tantei working on, doesn't it?"

"Hai." Koenma answered simply. He hadn't told his father about the case, but he wasn't surprised that King Enma knew about it. He was the Great King of Reikai, after all.

"Okay, son, I will finally tell you what really happened with the Artifacts of Ages."

* * *

**_'So what are the Artifacts of Ages?'_** Hiei asked into Kurama's mind as they scoured the city for the runaway miko. 

_(The Artifacts of Ages were any objects made from the wood of a Tree of Ages.)_ Youko answered. The silver kitsune had once more receded to the background of Kurama's consciousness, letting Kurama control his own body again.

**_'Tree of Ages? That sounds familiar.'_**

_(A Tree of Ages was a rare species of tree. There were only a few in the entire world, and they had existed since the dawn of time. The trees produced no fruit, nuts, or seeds from which more could grow, and this added to the intrigue of the trees. Each time a limb was cut from one of the trees, new growth began instantly. But the reason they were most legendary was because of the magical properties that the wood from the trees held.)_

**_'Magical properties?'_** Hiei questioned.

_(Hai. Each tree had a unique attribute related to time. One tree could stop time, another collected power through several generations at once, a third allowed time travel… you get the idea. Weapons, chests, and even shrines that were made from the trees retained those attributes. However, since these items were rare, and extremely powerful if you knew how to use them properly, the Artifacts of Ages became highly coveted by youkai and ningen alike.) _Youko explained.

Hiei nodded, **_'I seem to remember the bandits talking about the legendary Trees and Artifacts, now that I think about it. But in all my years as a thief, I never saw any of them.'_**

_(No one has for centuries. They were destroyed before you were born. Or, at least, they were supposed to be.)_ Youko said as Kurama shook his head. _(Several centuries ago, before Ningenkai and Makai were separated, Reikai had many problems with the wrong people getting their hands on the Artifacts and abusing the powers of the Trees. Therefore, Reikai decided to destroy both the Trees and the Artifacts, eliminating the threat to the flow of time.) _Kurama paused a moment to see where they were. So far, he and Hiei had covered several neighborhoods and a few retail areas looking for Kagome, but they'd still found no trace of the girl. The two youkai scanned the faces of the humans in the area, but no Kagome.

'_Dammit,'_ Kurama thought, _'I should've kept following her when she ran!'_

'**_We'll find her.'_** Hiei confidently assured his friend.

Kurama nodded, a look of appreciation on his face at his friend's words. He then sniffed the air in each direction, searching for the scent of Kagome. He hadn't been able to track her scent from the park. It seemed that all traces of the girl had vanished with her. Even Youko wondered how that was possible. Finally, Kurama seemed to catch the scent, and he and Hiei continued tracking the runaway miko.

After a few moments, Hiei resumed their previous conversation. **_'So the Artifacts were destroyed then?'_**

Once again, Youko answered. _(Officially, every single item and tree was found, contained, and destroyed by Reikai years before the creation of the Ningenkai and Makai barriers. But if Inuyasha and Kagome are really traveling through time, I am not sure if I believe that anymore. Are you sure that is really what she meant?)_

**_'I trust the Jagan to work properly.' _**Hiei scowled momentarily before returning to his mask of indifference.**_ 'Aren't there any other ways to travel through time?'_**

Kurama quirked a brow at his friend, _'You and I were both infamous thieves for centuries. You don't think, in all those years, we would have at least heard about it if it was possible?'_

**_'In all those years, we never knew the Artifacts of Ages might still exist, either.'_** Hiei reminded him easily.

A small smile came to Kurama's face. _'Aa, you have a point, Hiei. I guess the answers we seek will have to wait until later. For now, we really need to find Kagome.'_

* * *

"So, where do you think she went?" Kuwabara asked Yuusuke. The two boys were casually strolling the sidewalk a few blocks away from the park. 

"Dunno," the black-haired boy responded. "Guess we'll just hafta use our better judgment. We don't know enough about her to know where she'd go, so I guess the first place we should try is her home."

The two boys made their way to the Higurashi Shrine quickly, and reached the top of the steps just as Inuyasha leapt into the shrine grounds. Inuyasha barely spared them a glance before continuing to the house. When Yuusuke and Kuwabara were about to knock on the shoji, Inuyasha threw it open wide and glared at them.

"She's not here." Inuyasha informed them irritably, exiting the house and closing the shoji.

"Do you know where to look next?" Yuusuke asked the hanyou.

"No fuckin' clue. Thanks for makin' my life hell."

"Oi, what's that supposed to mean?" Kuwabara demanded.

Inuyasha was about to leap off to hunt for Kagome more, but…

Kuwabara called out again, "Oi, Inuyasha!"

That was the last straw for the inu-hanyou. He turned back around, grabbing both human boys by their shirt collars, and got right in their faces. "Listen, aho, Kagome wouldn't have run if it wasn't for you guys and your stupid interrogation! Now she's running around somewhere in this stinkin' city, and I can't find her scent to track her. You guys are just gonna make this shit worse, so just stay outta my way and let me find Kagome." That said, he left them standing in his dust.

"Feh, that guy thinks he'll get rid of us that easy?" Yuusuke took out his communicator and pushed a few buttons to contact Kurama and Hiei. Once the two teams had checked in with each other, and the two human boys stopped laughing at Kurama for mistaking an orchard of sakura trees for Kagome's scent, Yuusuke and Kuwabara left the shrine grounds.

Since Kagome had evidently hidden her scent, and she wasn't using her reiki, their best bet right now was to try to think logically. They didn't know her well enough to know her usual hangouts, but the boys figured they might get lucky and find her anyway. Yuusuke and Kuwabara decided to search every building they came across until they found her.

* * *

Kurama sighed, exasperated, and closed the compact communicator. _'Kusou!'_

Hiei rolled his eyes at his friend. **_'So you tracked Kagome by her sakura scent? The trees aren't even in bloom,'_** the shorter youkai stated in monotone.

_'Kagome smells like sakura, and the wood of the trees retains the muted scent of the blossoms long after they've fallen.'_ Kurama reasoned. He leaned a hand against one of the trees, head hanging in shame. Balling up his fists so tight that his fingernails cut into his palms, Kurama exclaimed, _'Chikushou, why can't I find her scent!'_

**_'If we can't track her scent, we have no choice but to continue our blind search. I've tried finding her with the Jagan, but it can't detect her either.'_**

Kurama nodded his understanding and agreement, and the two youkai left the orchard, still searching for the girl.

* * *

As Kagome walked with Yukio, she looked at her surroundings in near-wonder. She hadn't realized she'd run so far. She was nowhere near her home right now, and was thankful she had someone to walk with now. Even if it was Yukio. Lost in thought, she didn't hear Yukio the first time he asked the question. 

"Hmm?" Kagome asked when she realized he'd been talking.

"I said, would you like to get a bite to eat? I know a place nearby that's great."

"Oh," Kagome said, caught off guard a bit by the offer. She was about to say no, when her stomach growled. Her cheeks were tinged pink when she answered, "I-I guess that would be okay."

"Yeah?" Yukio asked, a hopeful look on his face.

Kagome almost laughed at the expression. It was the first time the whole day that he didn't look creepy to her. "Sure, why not?" she agreed with a genuine smile.

Yukio took her to a sushi bar around the corner. Kagome was rather surprised that that was the restaurant he was taking her to. It wasn't the kind of place she'd ever been to with her friends. She'd only eaten at places like this with her family before. At first, she was a bit uptight about eating, especially since Yukio insisted that he would pay for her, but soon she relaxed and enjoyed herself.

Yukio seemed to become a bit livelier than he'd seemed at school, though not by much. He was a little more talkative, though he still wouldn't talk about his home life, and he even joked around a little bit to entertain Kagome.

Forty-five minutes later, the two sushi-filled teens hit the streets again. Kagome smiled, realizing she was actually enjoying her time with Yukio. _'Much better than dwelling on my problems,' _she thought to herself. Kagome even let him carry her backpack when he suggested the idea. In fact, he had insisted since she'd let him put his school books in it while they ate, but this time Kagome didn't mind Yukio's insistence. The bag **_was_** rather heavy.

An hour after they left the sushi bar, the first colors of the sunset were painting the sky as the two teens reached the stairs to the shrine. Yukio held Kagome's arm as they climbed the steps, and walked her to her door once they were in the shrine grounds.

"Arigatou, Shindo-kun. I don't know what would've happened with me today if I hadn't run into you!" Kagome said gratefully. She giggled a little at her unintentional pun.

"It was no problem, Higurashi-san. And, please, call me Yuki."

The raven-haired girl smiled. "Okay, arigatou, Yuki-kun. You can call me Kagome, okay?"

He smiled and nodded approvingly. Kagome noticed his smile was different than the ones she'd seen on him before. She didn't get that strange, uneasy feeling from him anymore. _'Wonder what's different now?'_ she thought to herself.

"Well, I better get inside," said Kagome finally, "I'll see you tomorrow at school, ne?"

"Hai," the boy agreed. He then did something that surprised the hell out of Kagome. He stole a kiss! A chaste peck on the lips, but a kiss nonetheless. "Ja ne, Kagome-chan!" Yukio waved to the shocked Kagome, jogged back through the shrine grounds, and began the trek back down the shrine steps.

* * *

Several feet away, standing behind some tall bushes, Kurama let out a low growl when the human boy kissed Kagome. 

'_**Easy, kitsune. She's finally back; we don't need to go chasing after her again because you scared her.'**_

They had given up their search not too long beforehand, deciding to wait for Kagome to come home rather than waste their energy running all over Tokyo.

Kurama was about to make his presence known to the girl, when someone else decided to take the opportunity.

* * *

Once Yukio was out of the shrine grounds, Kagome abandoned the idea of going inside. She just didn't feel quite ready to be around her family tonight. Instead, she decided to visit Goshinboku. 

"Inuyasha!" the girl gasped suddenly as the hanyou dropped to the ground right in front of her. He'd been sitting in the tree waiting for her.

Inuyasha crossed his arms and frowned at his friend. "Where the hell have you been, wench! I've been looking all over for you! And who the hell was that!" he pointed a clawed finger in the direction Yukio had just run.

"You mean Yuki-kun?" Kagome asked. "He's a new guy in my class at school. I was with him for the past couple hours."

"What the hell for?" the hanyou demanded.

Kagome mirrored Inuyasha's crossed arms and scowled at him. "If you must know, he helped me. He took me out to eat and walked me home. He helped me forget about being upset for awhile and I'm grateful to him for it."

"So you kissed him!" Inuyasha growled out.

"Not that it's any of your business, but **_he_** kissed **_me_**. And, anyway, it was barely a kiss, so just chill out. It's not like I'd be doing something bad if I **_did_** kiss him, though. After all, I don't have a boyfriend, remember?" Kagome turned her back on Inuyasha and stomped off towards her house. She didn't much feel like sitting under Goshinboku anymore.

"Fine, I guess I didn't need to look for you at all then!" the silver-haired boy called after her. "Next time you're in trouble, you can have Yuki-**_kun _**help you!"

At his words, Kagome turned around to see Inuyasha run into the wellhouse and slam the shoji shut behind himself. Groaning and rolling her eyes at his irrationality, she ran after him. "Inuyasha, wait…" She slid the shoji open, immediately closing it once she was inside the wellhouse, and hopped down the well after her runaway hanyou.

* * *

"Did you feel somethin' funny just now?" Kuwabara whispered to Yuusuke as they entered the shrine grounds. 

"No, like what?" Yuusuke asked.

"I don't know. It was similar to Kagome's reiki, but different…"

"Well, that clears that right up," Yuusuke said sarcastically.

"I felt it, too," Kurama informed the redheaded human, stepping out from behind the bushes.

"What was it?" Kuwabara questioned the crimson-locked youkai.

"Only one way to find out," Kurama began, walking silently towards the wellhouse Kagome and Inuyasha had gone into. "It came from the wellhouse, that much I'm sure of."

The other three tantei followed him, gathering outside the door just before Kurama opened it.

"Huh?" Kuwabara was completely puzzled. The wellhouse was empty. That is, except for the well, of course. "Where'd they go?" He and Yuusuke proceeded to search the small building thoroughly, going as far as to look for secret doors. Their antics were almost comedic.

Ignoring their spectacle, Kurama stepped casually into the dark building. A shaft of pale orange light from the outside came in through the open shoji, illuminating a set of steps leading down to the well. Kurama descended the steps. He placed his hands on the edge of the well to peer into it, and immediately felt a warm tingle across his skin. "I think," Kurama answered Kuwabara, "they went down the well."

"What? That's crazy!" Yuusuke exclaimed. "If they went down the well, they'd still be here. There must be another way out of this place."

"Che, baka," Hiei commented, rolling his eyes at the ningen boy. He crossed his arms and watched what Kurama was doing. The kitsune boy had been running his hands all over the well and inspecting every inch of the outside of it. Hiei addressed his friend, "That's one of them, isn't it? One of the Artifacts?"

Kurama turned towards Hiei's voice, emerald eyes sparkling even through the darkness of the wellhouse. He nodded. "Aa. That is, I believe so. I can't be entirely sure, but that seems to be the most logical explanation."

"Wait a minute." Yuusuke held his arms up, coming between the kitsune and the fire apparition. "You mean that well is one of those Artifacts of Ages you were talkin' about before?"

Kurama nodded, "It would seem so."

Yuusuke clapped his hands once, loud. "Okay, then, what're we waiting for!" He climbed onto the narrow lip of the well, bent his knees, and jumped in. The rest of the Tantei waited with bated breath for that same weird feeling they'd felt before. But… nothing happened. Well, nothing except…

**_THUD!_** "Oof!" Yuusuke landed in the bottom of the well.

Kuwabara looked over the side of the well. "Oi, Urameshi! Did it work?"

"Why don't you come down here and see for yourself?" Yuusuke challenged threateningly, making a vulgar sign at Kuwabara. The three boys not in the bottom of a dry well laughed.

By the time a dusty, slightly bruised Yuusuke climbed the ladder out of the well, the laughter had subsided. It was then that his communicator decided to ring. Yuusuke pulled out his communicator as it sounded off, only to be snatched from his fingers by an eager Kuwabara, who flipped the lid to yell, "Moshi moshi!" to an awaiting Botan.

"Oh, hey, Kuwabara. Have you guys found Kagome and Inuyasha yet?" Botan asked cheerfully from the communicator.

"Well, we saw 'em. As for knowing where the hell they are now, that's a different story." Yuusuke answered from the background, still standing in front of the well.

"Is that Yuusuke I hear?" Botan asked.

"Hai," Kuwabara nodded at the communicator screen, "Kurama and Hiei are with us, too. We met back up at Kagome's house. She got back a few minutes ago, but she and Inuyasha just disappeared into thin air again. We can't seem to find them anywhere."

"Oh…" the blue-haired girl replied softly. Then, doing a complete 180, she returned to her hyper self and said, "Well, that's okay for now. Why don't you all come to Koenma's office? He has something he needs to tell us."

A few seconds later, the ferry girl had retrieved the four boys from Ningenkai and transported them all to Koenma's office.

* * *

Shizuru was returning to her apartment after walking Keiko and Puu back to Keiko's house. Yuusuke and the others had never shown up at Shizuru's apartment, and the sandy-haired girl had decided to walk her friend home so she wouldn't have to walk alone. A mere three blocks from her building, the uneasy feeling she'd been having for the past few weeks came back to the forefront of her consciousness when someone passed her on the sidewalk. 

Shizuru turned to look at him, and got a feeling of déjà vu. _'Black school uniform, long black hair, pretty pale face. Could that be the same guy from earlier?'_ she wondered to herself. Then she shook her head, noticing something else, _'Nah, that kid didn't have a backpack.'_ Nevertheless, she let her curiosity lead her to the alley he'd ducked into.

When she peered around the corner to the alley, Shizuru gasped. There, at the end of the alley, was a small, swirling black hole about the size of a basketball. The girl watched as the hole shrunk smaller and smaller, until it was finally gone completely.

End Chapter 14

* * *

**_Words First Appearing in Chapter Fourteen:_**

**_rei kan:_ **ability to feel supernatural phenomena

**_Yatsude: _**one of Kurama's former enemies; if you read the 'Two Shots' extra from the manga, you know ; if you read it in SJ, they named him "Eight-hands" which is **_almost_** a literal translation of his name… (rolls eyes)

**_daijoubu/daijoubu ka: _**alright/alright? ; the "ka" makes it a question; the complete form of this question is approximately "daijoubu desu ka?" (are you alright?)

**_aho:_** an insult; fool, dumbass, etc.

**_kusou/chikushou: _**both are curses, translated a few different ways depending on context; most common: damn, shit, etc.

* * *

**_A/N:_** Another really late update, I know. Gomen nasai! It probably will be another long update from here also, but hopefully I will be able to update by November if not sooner. Chibi-chan is not making it easy to have free time to write lately, plus I've been sick which helps so much. . I really wish I could update more often like I started out, but I also don't want to drop plans and plotlines by trying to rush chapters out, so please bear with me… As of now I think the story may run into the 20s, though from here it will be a bit more intricate and possibly last longer depending on where the chapters take me and what other ideas decide to pop into my head. :p 

**_To All My Reviewers:_** Thank you guys so much! It's great to have such awesome, impatient readers. (Heheheh) Even though I can't satisfy your hunger for updates as often as you (and I!) want, the fact that you want them still makes me happy. Stick around, more to come!

* * *

Please Read and Review, thankies! 


	16. Artifacts of Ages

Unexpected Ally

Disclaimer: YYH belongs to Yoshihiro Tagashi; IY belongs to Rumiko Takahashi; Unfortunately, I am neither one of them. Pity me!

Chapter Fifteen: Artifacts of Ages

The sun was already down on the other side of the well, and no stars shone through the cloud-filled sky. Kagome peered through the darkness, letting her eyes adjust as she sat on the edge of the well after climbing out of it.

"Inuyasha!" she called, knowing it was most likely in vain. Her voice echoed into the night, giving her the feeling she was the only person in the world. She shivered at the thought as she stood, eyes finally adjusting to the darkness.

"Mou, Inuyasha, why are you always so difficult?" she mumbled to herself as she entered Inuyasha no Mori. Stumbling along in the darkness, she slowly made her way through the forest. Every few trees she passed, Kagome called out his name again.

Finally, she came to the place they first met; Goshinboku. Frowning up into the empty branches, Kagome breathed a sigh of frustration as she leaned her back against the tree and slid down to sit on the ground.

After a few minutes' rest, she stood again, and looked at the tree once more as she brushed grass off her butt. She stared at the scarred bark of the tree, remembering all that had happened during that first day.

Kagome rolled her eyes at herself. "I don't have time to get sentimental," she mumbled to herself. Then she took a deep breath and yelled into the darkness, "Inuyasha! You may not think it matters, but I **_am_** going to school tomorrow. I don't have time to wait around here for you all night!" The end of her declaration echoed through the apparently empty forest. She listened for movement, response, even a telltale, 'Keh!' but there was nothing.

Kagome concentrated on her senses, but didn't feel Inuyasha's familiar youki either. Continuing her trek through the woods, she eventually came to the river she usually bathed in when they stayed in Kaede's village. There was no sign of her hanyou there either. Kagome growled in frustration and decided to check the village. It was eerily quiet as she walked through the empty paths, nearing Kaede's hut. She knocked on the frame that the tatami mat 'door' hung from and was soon greeted by the old miko.

"Kagome, back so soon? I was not expecting you back for a few more days."

"I know, Kaede-baa-chan, I'm not officially back yet. I was just wondering if Inuyasha had been here?"

"Inuyasha? No, I have not seen him. Why, did something happen?"

Kagome waved her hands from side to side, shaking her head as she said, "Oh, no, it's fine. He just got upset about something silly and came back through the well. I already checked the forest and by the river bank, so I thought I'd check here."

"Ah, I see," the old woman said knowingly. Inuyasha and Kagome were both well-known by now for their petty arguments and quick tempers. It most likely was something silly as the girl had said. "Well, do not worry, Kagome. I am sure he will come back once he is calmed down. He always does."

Kagome nodded, then looked around the inside of the hut. She and Kaede were the only ones here. "Where is everyone?"

Kaede looked up from a basket of herbs she was separating to peer around the room as well. "Oh, a messenger came today from a village nearby, asking for help from the famous band that had defeated Naraku. Apparently, many youkai have started terrorizing the country again since Naraku has been gone. You all have made quite the name for yourselves in Musashi and the village sent the messenger to hire you for protection," the old miko had a glint of pride in her eye as she looked at Kagome, before turning her attention back to her herbs. "Miroku-dono and Sango accepted the offer, and Kohaku and Shippou went along with them and Kirara."

"Wow, so they took a job protecting a village? Do you think they'll be needed long?" Kagome wondered.

"I know not how long they will be gone." Kaede answered, shaking her head. "The messenger did say the area had become rather overrun with youkai. However, I do know where the village is, so you and Inuyasha can join them when you do return together."

"Okay," Kagome said, "Well, anyway, where's Myouga-jii-chan? Maybe he'd have an idea where Inuyasha could be."

Kaede set aside her now-empty basket and picked up another one full of various plants and herbs, continuing to separate them into like piles. "I have not seen Myouga since the others left. I imagine he fled in the opposite direction of the supposed danger, though."

"As usual," the girl remarked dryly.

The old miko nodded.

"Well, Kagome, since you are here, would you care to have some tea with me?"

"Well…" Kagome hesitated, "I really need to get back before too long. I still have school tomorrow and Mama and Jii-chan will be wondering where I am."

"Okay, child, I understand." Kaede nodded, "If I see Inuyasha, I will tell him you were looking for him and try to send him back to you."

"Arigatou, Kaede-baa-chan."

The two said their goodbyes and Kagome once again returned to her time through the well.

* * *

Amber eyes glowed in the darkness as Inuyasha watched Kagome jump back down the well. He felt a twinge of loneliness as he realized she'd finally given up her search for him. He'd spent most of his time so far staying out of the range of her senses, but now he was only a couple hundred feet away in the woods, and it seemed she still hadn't sensed him. _'Keh, whatever,'_ he said to himself, _'It's about time that damn wench stopped bothering me. I couldn't even relax in my tree with her here.' _The hanyou then leapt into Goshinboku and got comfortable, trying to ignore his feelings of loneliness by replacing it with his anger over the day's events. 

First he'd woke to that damn kitsune on Kagome's family's shrine grounds, and then he was attacked by him and that black-haired midget. Next, Kagome actually agreed to meet with them and answer their questions. _'And that went so well, didn't it, Kagome?'_ He rolled his eyes to no one in particular, seeing as he was alone, save whatever animals made their homes in his forest. _'You had to go and tell them too much, and then that baby goes and calls you Kikyou.' _

This was working; he was quickly forgetting any pangs of sadness as his temper began to boil, thinking of those Reikai fools. "And how the **_fuck_** do they know about Kikyou!" he exclaimed, slamming his fist against the trunk of the tree as his words echoed into the night. A few animals scurried away at the noise, and scared birds took flight.

Just as Inuyasha's thoughts began to turn toward the next chain of events, and, inevitably, Kagome's 'rescue' by Yukio, there was a call up into the branches of Goshinboku.

"Inuyasha," the old, gravelly voice said, "I know you are there, so do not even try ignoring me."

"What do you want, Kaede-baba?" the inu-hanyou asked, shifting his position on his branch so his legs were dangling off the side as he glared down at her with a look of annoyance.

"I know you know Kagome was here. I will not ask why you are avoiding her, or what happened between you two, but I do wish you would go back to her time. She is worried about you."

Her words sparked his interest, and he, a little too eagerly, asked, "She said that?"

"She did not have to. It was clear from her actions and the look on her face. If you could not tell from the fact that she searched all over these woods, in this darkness, you truly are an idiot." With these words, the old woman left the hanyou with his thoughts.

"Keh!" Inuyasha grunted, returning to his former position reclining against the tree. "Worried about me? She doesn't need me. She's got her precious **_'Yuki-kun!'_**" Inuyasha grumbled, trying to ease his conscience.

* * *

Kagome entered her home and greeted her family, but quickly excused herself for the night, saying she'd already eaten and had homework to do. Once up in her room, she flopped facedown on her bed and groaned into her pillow. 

_'Damn that Inuyasha! Making me chase after him all over the forest in the dark… and I didn't even find him! What's his** problem** anyway? He has no right to be upset about Yukio, especially after all the times I've caught him with Kikyou! And I didn't even kiss Yukio back!'_ She turned over to lie staring at the ceiling. _ 'He always does this, though; gets jealous over any guys I'm friends with. But it's not like I'm **his**. It's not like he has any claim on me whatsoever. It's **clear** he's still not over Kikyou, and probably never will be, so I have every right to be kissed by other boys… and to kiss them back!' _She frowned in anger and nodded her head forcefully once in agreement with her own thoughts. Then her eyes softened into a kind of sadness, and she turned to her side, one hand cradling her head while the other lay in front of her, parallel to her body. _'He'll never be ready to be with me and just me, I already know that. I'll always be Kikyou's reincarnation to him; there's no way to ignore that fact. I need to just move on… if only he would let me.'_

Not too long after these thoughts, Kagome was asleep, a small shimmer of unshed tears held between her closed lashes.

* * *

Once again, the four tantei were sitting in Koenma's office, waiting for more light to be shed on the case they were working on. They didn't have to wait long, however, as the miniature ruler soon came through the door, followed by his loyal servant, the oni George. Both carried files in their arms, though Koenma's load was much lighter than the oni's. Koenma carried a single, thick file, whereas George could barely see over his stack. 

Koenma sat at his desk, placing the file in front of him, and directed George to set his pile on the last little bit of clear space on the desk. The rest of the desk was littered with stacks of file folders at least a foot high, and there were several boxes filled with more files stacked on the floor on either side of the desk. The four tantei, Botan, and George watched and waited in anticipation as Koenma opened the file folder he'd carried in, flipped slowly through the pages, closed it, and clasped his hands over it. He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, preparing to give them this new information.

"Oh, enough with the dramatics, already, just tell us why you brought us here, ya damn baby!" Yuusuke demanded exasperatedly, leaning forward in his chair to glare over the papers at Koenma. It had been a long, unfulfilling day, and his already low patience and short temper had reached their limit.

"Calm down, Yuusuke, I was just about to," Koenma replied without concern, and reopened the folder. Once more, he stared down at the papers contained within.

"Do you have information on the Artifacts of Ages?" Kurama ventured.

Koenma glanced up at the kitsune boy, "As a matter of fact, Kurama, I do." He said nothing further as he began to flip through the papers again, seemingly rereading.

"Well," Hiei began shortly, exasperation coming into his voice a bit as well, "Do you intend to tell us, or simply continue to stare at that like an idiot?"

Koenma acted as if he hadn't heard, and continued to look through the papers until he again was done and closed the folder. Finally he looked at his detectives.

"I have just come from an audience with my father, and I believe I have new information that may be vital to this case." Koenma looked straight at Hiei, mouth pursed like he was about to continue, but instead he paused. Mouth agape and pacifier barely stuck to his lip, he asked, "What happened to you!"

Hiei's brow went up in question, before remembering the state he and Kurama had been in most of the day now. With all that had happened, he'd almost forgotten about his injuries from their sparring. "Hn," was all he said, and barely gestured a nod in Kurama's direction.

Koenma turned to the kitsune to see he also was injured, though just a cut and some bruising at the corner of his mouth rather than the black eye Hiei sported.

At the look Koenma gave him then, Kurama smiled and sweatdropped, glad Koenma couldn't see the injuries under their clothes, "Early morning spar." From the corner of his eye, Kurama saw Botan's curious look turn to a mild understanding. He thought she must have been wondering since she'd first seen them earlier in Ningenkai, but hadn't wanted to ask in front of Hiei **_or_** Inuyasha. Kami, she probably even thought it was Inuyasha that had happened, just as the others had at first.

Koenma raised a curious brow but said no more about it, turning back to address Hiei finally. "You are positive Kagome-sama said 'Inuyasha's time,' correct?" The honorific on Kagome's name did not go unnoticed, by anyone in the room.

Hiei quirked a brow at the question before scowling in discontent over once again being questioned on his Jagan's accuracy. Koenma evidently took this as his answer, and continued.

"Because of this new information, and Kurama—or, rather I believe, Youko's—" Kurama tipped his head in a semi-nod, confirming this, as Koenma continued, "—suspicions about the Artifacts of Ages being involved with this somehow, I consulted my father about the Artifacts today. I have since learned much that I hope will be of use to you." He patted the folder in front of him.

"Oh, Koenma-sama, will you just get on with it!" Botan ignored the surprised looks her outburst received, already too tired from going through so many files, as Koenma had requested before he'd met with King Enma, to have the patience for his long drawn out answers.

Koenma looked taken aback by the blue-haired girl, then looked as though he would reprimand her, but instead merely continued, "Yes, well, it seems that the Artifacts **_do_** still exist as Youko suggested earlier. The truth of their continued existence, and the reasons for it, has been a sealed and closely guarded secret of my father, Enma-Daioh-sama, and his close personal advisors for nearly five centuries. Even **_I_** was kept in the dark about this until today."

"What **_are_** these Artifacts, exactly, anyway?" Yuusuke wondered. "I mean, they're the Artifacts of Ages, and they have something to do with time travel. I get that. But what are they, exactly? How do they work, what were they made for?"

_(Quite the curious kitten, suddenly.)_ Youko commented to Kurama.

Kurama allowed for a small smirk, though only Hiei noticed. Everyone else was interested in the answer to Yuusuke's question as well.

Koenma cleared his throat and took a breath. "Ahem, the Artifacts of Ages were five items created from the five Trees of Ages. The Trees of Ages had existed since the dawn of time; since before history even began; and they had magical properties that manipulated time. The Trees produced no fruits, nuts, or seeds from which more could grow, and when wood was cut from the tree, new growth appeared almost spontaneously. The wood that was cut and used did retain a small amount of the Trees' magical properties, but they didn't last long and were not nearly as powerful as the Artifacts later turned out to be. The Artifacts were produced by the very Trees themselves, rather than by ningen or youkai. The Artifacts were: a decorative hair comb, a staff, a mask, the mouth of a well, and a bow. The Trees they came from were: The Tree of Youth; The Tree of Stopped Time; The Tree of Power; The Tree of Time Travel; and The Tree of Timing."

Youko's invisible ears perked up at this new information. This was more than he'd ever heard before. Koenma must be actually telling them what he'd learned that day from the sealed records!

**_'Settle down, kitsune, or I'll have to put the leash on.'_** Hiei said idly into their head.

Youko drooled mentally at Hiei and grinned, _(Promise?)_

Kurama and Hiei both rolled their eyes. Luckily for them, everyone was still looking at Koenma.

"What's with the dorky tree names?" Kuwabara asked.

Koenma huffed, "These are the names they're given in the records in order to identify them. Each Tree was named for its specific power. At the time this occurred, however, I believe each Tree was simply referred to as a 'Tree of Ages.' Now, are there anymore questions, or may I continue?"

The question was met with attentive silence, and he continued.

"The comb from the Tree of Youth gave its wearer continued youthful beauty. It sprung forth from a low branch one day and dropped as if it were a fruit; a present. A young hime was there and happened to see it, and thought it was interesting. She liked it and kept it, and soon came to realize it was special somehow. She began wearing it all the time, but it was not until several years later that she came to realize, when looking in her reflection, that she did not look a day past her 16th year, when she had begun wearing it often. She had found it when she was 15, but had not often worn that comb at first. The hime was surprised to realize it must be the comb that had affected her that way, and began to become paranoid that others would notice she did not look her proper 24 years. She would be found out! They would steal her treasure and her youth! She became detached and soon did not care about her duties, her husband, or her villages.

She had no children. She barely gave that idea a chance as she neglected the husband her daimyo father had accepted for her. She began wandering about aimlessly, finally running away through the woods, in order to keep her precious comb safe.

Finally, she came upon a witch in a shack deep in the woods, who said she could help the hime with her plight: to keep her youth and beauty. She said, if the hime served her for five years, she would tell her how. In desperation, the hime agreed, and became the old woman's servant, doing whatever she was told. Mostly she was made to do chores for the woman, and fetch things from deep in the woods and from nearby villages, but occasionally she was also made to carry out orders to kill. Usually, it was only animals needed for food and potions, but sometimes the witch wanted humans as well.

The hime became accustomed to this over time, though, and soon her five years were up. The witch said she would finally tell the girl the secret. All she had to do was become a demon.

"But, I am ningen, baba, not youkai," the young woman had spit out at the old witch.

The one-eyed woman grabbed the runaway hime's precious comb along with her hair and hissed, "Would you rather die now a ningen, and give **_me_** your youth and beauty then!"

"No! No! I'll do it, whatever it is, if I can keep my youth and beauty, I'll do as you say!" the hime cried.

"Riiiiight," the old woman creaked. "Then first, I shall need your hair in exchange for this service."

The hime gasped and tried to back away, holding her hair and shouting, "No! How can I keep my youth and beauty if I am bald? What use is my comb if I've no hair to keep it in!"

The cockeyed woman suddenly opened her other eye to reveal a completely milky-white eye and took a step towards the girl with a beckoning, slightly-clawed finger to her chin, and croaked, "You shall have hair. It just will not be**_ your_** hair…"

The young hime became interested at this. She wasn't quite sure what that meant, but she was now willing to listen again.

The old witch said, in return for the price of her precious youthful hair, the witch would turn the hime into a demon. Her precious comb, that had become her talisman for her very self worth and reason to live, would become the vessel of her life force, and it would live in a skull that the witch had placed a special curse on to keep it protected. She would collect power for herself through collecting heads for their hair… she would run her gained youki through the hair to grow it and manipulate it, collecting the heads mainly around where the actual comb-containing skull was lurking, protecting itself. Yura's consciousness would be able to manipulate her beautiful, youthful body, but her life force would be forever frozen within that comb; her precious treasure.

Despite what these circumstances would mean, that her body would basically merely be a puppet for her to manipulate with hair, the hime accepted the witch's proposal, and gave her beautiful, coveted hair as payment. The witch later used the hair to make a concoction to restore her own youth and beauty, but that is another story entirely, and the hime did not know. The former hime, who would from then on be known as Yura of the Hair, was then contained in her comb until she had strands of hair to manipulate.

Unknown to her, during her five years of serving the witch, the old hag had been stealing her comb at night and loaning it to local villagers, who used it to brush the hair of the dead before they were to be buried. It was thought by the villagers that the powers of her comb would bring good luck to the departing souls, but instead the hair the comb collected gave power to the comb, just as the witch had expected it to. This is how it gained its evil youki and was able to be Yura's life force vessel once their pact was complete.

Once Yura's life force was contained within the comb, and the comb was placed in the red skull with a protection spell, her soul became even more corrupted than it already had been, through the evil of the comb. She became power hungry and bloodthirsty, and she had to kill to retain her promised youth and beauty. She found that the more beautiful the hair on the heads she collected was, the more beautiful she became. Her first victims' hair was used to replace the hair she'd paid to the witch, which mysteriously never grew back.

Yura soon had collected many heads, and was in control of many strands of hair that she ran her consciousness through. Her basically lifeless body had gone through many battles and wounds, even some that would have formerly been fatal, but Yura was able to use her hair to repair the puppet body and keep it as her personification. It was where her youth and beauty were stored, though her soul was in the comb.

"However, not much more than half a century after Yura was granted the 'gift' of being a youkai," Koenma said, "She and her comb tomb were destroyed… coincidentally by the user of both the well**_ and_** the bow…"

Youko was still drooling, but now it was because of all the valuable information he was getting for free. This whole thing seemed to run much deeper than they'd originally thought…

"But she did not fight alone," Koenma continued, "Though they never say the time traveler's name, we know it was a miko, because she used her reiki with her Tree of Timing bow. The other Artifact I said she used was the well… but she did not travel alone, at least not always. Just as she had not battled Yura of the Hair on her own, the miko had a hanyou with her. He is always referred to, only, as 'the hanyou'."

Now even Hiei was sounding excited to him, **_'Kurama, is any of this sounding familiar to you? Did you have any idea this ran this deep?'_**

Youko purred, _(None, but I must say I am not disappointed. This is getting more and more interesting by the minute.)_

**_'Indeed.'_**

Koenma was not yet done with his tale, and so continued telling them what his father had told him that very afternoon.

"The staff from the Tree of Stopped Time sprung forth out of the ground from the tree's roots. A young man on a journey found the staff and took it with him, soon realizing the staff's powers to stop time around him so the young man could travel wherever and whenever he wished without fear of bandits and other such evils that were lurking in the woods and on the roadside.

However, the young man became careless in when and where he used the staff, and drew attention to himself from a very powerful young inu-no-taiyoukai. The youkai, whose name is also not given, quickly disposed of the ningen and took the staff to an old weapons smith who used it to make an item called the Nintoujou, or Staff of Heads. The heads of a ningen man and woman were affixed atop the staff and the combined powers of these three things created an even more powerful artifact that was able to shoot fire, and used the time stopping properties in order to be able to open and enter other dimensions. This worked by creating a sort of time rift, where time stopped in one dimension in order to open another one without harming either world.

The staff was soon after entrusted to a toad imp that served as a vassal to the taiyoukai, and he wielded it almost exclusively from that point on.

Exactly what happened to the staff in the end is still unknown, though there are also hints in the sealed records that the Nintoujou was somehow involved in the separation of ningen and youkai and the creation of Makai. It gives no specific details on this, however, and I've come to suspect that perhaps the truth about that in particular is in yet another sealed record, most likely containing the true history of the barriers, that my father has yet to show me.

What **_is_** in the files, however, is the fact that the miko and the hanyou also came into contact with the Nintoujou. In fact, the hanyou was the taiyoukai's younger half-brother, and they were considered enemies; though, in all their fighting, neither was ever able to kill the other.

The wording of the records also seems to hint at there being more to **_their_** story as well, but again it does not go into detail."

Koenma paused in his story and beckoned George to fetch him a glass of water, which he immediately drank from when it was handed to him. His thirst satisfied, he continued speaking to his raptly attentive audience.

"The mask of the Tree of Power has a slightly different story. Before the Tree produced the mask, a shard of a powerful gem was embedded into the bark. The tree formed the mask from its trunk, in the form of a Noh theater mask. The mask had the ability to give great power, as the Tree of Power's time manipulation allowed it to collect power from several generations through its roots, which grew through several dimensions of time from now until eternity; and the mask, too, gained these magical properties and lent them to its wearer.

The young boy that found the mask on the forest floor, though, was oblivious to the power contained within. He returned to his village with it and used it to play Noh theater with his friends.

However, the power of the mask, and the gem contained within, did not go unnoticed by everyone. Soon many youkai and apparitions were after it, drawn by the scent of power the mask and gem exuded. One night, as the boy slept, a bodiless evil apparition possessed the mask, hoping to gain the power of the shard within the wood, along with the power of the Artifact itself. When the boy used the mask again, the possessed mask ate his flesh to take over his body and merge with it, trying to gain a body of its own.

The village was plagued by the now-evil Nikuzuki no Men, or Mask of Flesh. Finally, a powerful monk was able to contain its evil, though he could not purge the apparition from the mask, and the Noh mask would not burn in order to be destroyed. It was kept by the remaining family of the boy, forever their heirloom and burden, and was left to them to keep it contained.

It seems this worked for nearly 400 years, until around the turn of the last century. A descendant of the family evidently wanted to be able to display the heirloom mask, and gave it to a local Shinto priest for exorcism, but he was unable to do more than renew the seals that were on it. So, the Noh mask was given over to the safekeeping of the shrine and evidently became heirloom and burden to yet another family, though this time it was a shrine family. It was kept safe in this family for nearly three generations before the Noh mask was awakened by the presence of another shard of the gem here in modern Tokyo."

Koenma addressed the tantei, "Even you four may recall the reports we had coming in last year of a large youkai devouring many victims in the city? That, evidently, was the Noh mask after it had already gained much mass due to the flesh it had consumed. However, before Reikai could find it and get it contained, it was destroyed. The one the records say destroyed it… was none other than the hanyou, user of the well Artifact. Of course, he seemed to have been accompanied by the miko as usual. The only difference was, this time they were in modern day Tokyo, though the records say it was still the same hanyou and miko that had been in contact with the other Artifacts in the Sengoku Jidai. At the time, you four were busy with another assignment and I wasn't even informed of all these details; my father took care of all the cleaning and covering up."

"Now you **_do_** know, though, Koenma-sama," Botan said, sounding awed.

"Now, we **_all_** know," Kurama remarked.

_(...Indeed…)_ Youko was practically speechless. He could already see how this could all be coming together, though the hanyou and miko remained nameless. The constant appearance of the duo, the connection with the Artifacts, and even the existence of the as-yet-unexplained well Artifact, all seemed to point in the direction of Inuyasha and Kagome in his mind. Especially now that Koenma's story had moved on to present day.

"Yes," Koenma agreed, "but this is not all. There are two remaining Artifacts to tell you about, and the story of the well has a small twist to it also."

Everyone was still paying attention to the Junior ruler, a rare occurrence indeed, and Koenma continued.

"The well mouth of the Tree of Time Travel was a gift of the tree specifically for the village it grew near. The village was in the middle of a kind of youkai hot-spot, and was constantly under attack by all sorts of creatures. Though the village was also the birthplace of many a powerful miko, and therefore greatly protected, the excess of youkai corpses became a hideous, stinking, and disgusting problem very quickly. At first, they tried burying and burning the bodies. However, burying not only was time consuming, but impractical in that other youkai would be drawn by the bodies, digging them up in hopes to consume whatever power was left in the remains. Burning also took a long time, some of the bodies wouldn't even burn, and if they did they also attracted more youkai from the smell.

The village didn't know what to do, and they all hoped and prayed for an answer to come. Then one day, while the miko of the time was walking through the woods, she stopped to pay reverence to the sacred Tree of Ages in the middle of the forest.

It is said she lamented out loud about the village's predicament, and wished she had the wisdom of the trees to help her village. Then she touched the Tree's bark as she went to leave. As she turned around, she heard a couple loud noises behind her, and looked back quickly only to see two of the Tree's large branches now lying on the forest floor. When she inspected them, she saw they had not broken, nor did they look like they had been cut. In fact, they looked almost as if they had grown themselves right off of the tree, with both ends of each branch tapered and leaved.

Putting her hands on one of them to see if she could possibly lift it, as it was at least twice as long as she was tall, and three times as wide as her, she was suddenly dizzy and overcome with a vision. In her vision, she saw the branches being made into boards, and then shaped into the frame of a well. Next, her premonition flashed forward even more, and she saw the well frame put into the ground atop a newly-dug dry well. The next scene showed the villagers throwing a youkai corpse into the well, and the miko's vision sight followed the youkai down only to see it almost immediately decompose, becoming bone and then dust to fill the bottom of the dry well.

When the miko came out of the vision, and she gained back her sense of balance, she ran quickly to her village and told her elders of the vision and the Tree's gift. They immediately followed the 'instructions' the Tree had given her, and all the girl had been shown soon came to be.

The dry well came to be known as the Bone Eater's Well, or the Bone Gobbling Well. The wood of the Tree of Time Travel that was used for its frame and mouth was the key to its power. The wood merged its powers into the soil, creating a kind of time warp within the well, causing the dead evils thrown into it to decompose rapidly.

Little did the villagers know that there would be another use for the well in the future."

Koenma again paused to sip at his water, and Yuusuke took the opportunity to speak.

"So now, I expect, we're about to hear this 'twist to the story' you mentioned?" He crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat, waiting expectantly for Koenma's answer.

Koenma merely nodded before he continued.

"The Bone Eater's Well existed and served the village without fail for two whole centuries before the next chapter of its life began. In fact, not only was it the first Artifact to not become corrupted or used for ill will, it was the first Artifact of Ages ever, predating all the others by nearly 200 years. Next was the bow, then the staff, the comb, and finally the mask.

This, however, is not the twist. The twist comes into play with a bit of sketchy history. Sketchy because, as with quite a few other facts in these now-unsealed records, I believe the complete truth has been stricken in places my father still finds necessary to keep sealed.

So, the story the records give is that, for some unknown reason, a hanyou became pinned to the Tree of Time Travel by a sacred arrow when a miko from the village tried to kill him. The miko died soon after from wounds thought to be inflicted by the hanyou. However, rather than killing him, the combination of the Tree and arrow's magic merely stopped time for the hanyou and preserved him in a sort of suspended sleep.

The villagers did not know why he did not die from their precious, and now-dead, miko's arrow, but decided it would not be wise to risk trying to finish the job. Rather, the forest was named for the hanyou, as a sort of warning and reminder; and the Tree of Ages became even more of a protector to the village, keeping the hanyou wrapped to the tree in his coma. The villagers named the tree Goshinboku, the God Tree, and gave it great respect, almost as a patriarch of their village.

But, one day, about fifty years after the hanyou was pinned, the Bone Eater's Well glowed with magic and a young girl climbed out of it. The villagers found her and thought her a youkai because of her strange clothing, but in actuality she was a miko from the future.

Of course, at the time, it was not known exactly what time she was from, but the notes in the file now indicate that she was from our time in modern day Tokyo.

So, this miko from modern times was brought through the well into the Sengoku Jidai, with no clue how or why it had happened. And, again, the history here gets fuzzy. Somehow, she released the hanyou from his sleep-spell and freed him from the tree. Then the two began a journey that took them all over Musashi and into some of the surrounding areas, and their journey lasted nearly two years.

As you have already heard in the tales of the other Artifacts, during their travels the miko and hanyou came into contact with all of the other Artifacts. They destroyed two of them that we know of, the fate of the Nintoujou still being unknown officially, and both the miko and hanyou used the Bone Eater's Well to travel between their respective times.

The fifth and final Artifact is the bow of the Tree of Timing. This is another Artifact with a twist and an obscure history.

The bow was a gift from the branches of the Tree of Timing, and not only helped its user with aim and concentration, but actually slowed or sped up time as need be, in order to help the arrow hit the mark. It is noted in the records that this Artifact does not work on its own, however. The archer does need to have a bit of skill and understanding of the weapon, and their own power must be lent to the bow in order to make use of its time manipulation.

The twist to this story is that, not only did it come to be in the hands of the miko of the Time Traveling Well, but before her it was used by the miko who had pinned the hanyou to Goshinboku in the first place. That miko was not the original owner of the bow, either, and the identity of its original owner is still unknown."

Koenma took a final gulp from his glass around his pacifier, set it down, and cleared his throat, "So, there you have it. The histories of the Artifacts of Ages and what they were used for. Anymore questions about them before I tell you the rest of what I brought you here for?" Koenma picked up his empty glass again and gave it to George to refill.

Kurama spoke up at once, "Koenma, the legends that have been passed down through Makai speak of any item made from the Trees as being an Artifact of Ages, yet you say there are only five. Even if the only true Artifacts were the ones made by the Trees themselves, surely it's possible that there were more. Each Tree could have produced more than one Artifact, could they not?"

Koenma nodded at the kitsune's usual intuition, "I asked my father the same question, Kurama, and he assured me that once the existence of the Artifacts was made known to Reikai they were on the lookout for anymore that may exist. Only the five were ever found, and we have the histories here."

"If your**_ father_** is so confident in this, why was the order made to destroy the Trees and the Artifacts?" Hiei asked in his cynical voice.

"Yeah," Yuusuke piped up, "And if the Artifacts were dangerous enough to be destroyed, why weren't they?"

"I was just getting to that part," Koenma answered.

"For ages, no one but the villages and individuals that had come into contact with the Trees or Artifacts knew of them. However, somehow during the travels of the hanyou and miko, people began to learn about them. Once the knowledge of the Artifacts' existence got out, the stories traveled all over the continent. They became legendary and everyone wanted to get their hands on a precious Tree of Ages artifact of their own.

The locations of the Trees came to be known through these stories as well; and soon the country was overrun, and the Trees were plagued by swarms of greedy ningen and youkai alike. Reikai was forced to step in.

At first, since ningen and youkai lived together, as Ningenkai and Makai hadn't been separated yet, Reikai simply kept an eye on the Artifacts; back then, Reikai never really stepped in to the affairs of the living, just kept an ever-watchful eye on things to make sure the two main races, ningen and youkai, didn't kill each other off. But when the rush for the Artifacts of Ages occurred, however, it was like Naraku all over again."

"Wait up," Kuwabara interrupted.

At the same time, Yuusuke said, "Hold on, who's Naraku?"

Koenma looked at the human boys. "Ahh… Naraku… is another story that will have to wait until later. All you need to know for its relevance to this story is that the time of the evil hanyou, Naraku, was not one of the most easy or pleasant times in ningen history. If Youko remembers back to that time still, perhaps he can tell you. It wasn't too long before the Artifact Rush, after all. For now, the Artifacts are what's important for **_this_** case. The story of Kikyou-sama, Naraku, and the Shikon no Tama can wait. History isn't going anywhere."

All six other sets of eyes shot open wide at the mention of Kikyou's name in relation to a significant story in history.

Though Kurama was surprised, Youko scoffed. _(What legendary thief **would not** know the story of the Shikon no Tama? Though I was not in Musashi at the time, the story of what happened quickly made its way to me. Even if it had not, I would have found out when I eventually sought out the jewel for myself. However, by that time, Kikyou, Naraku, **and** the Shikon no Tama no longer existed.)_

Kurama's curious expression became knitted at the brows as he spoke, "But, Koenma, you called Kagome 'Kikyou-sama' this afternoon. Does that mean Kikyou was the powerful miko Kagome is supposed to be a reincarnation of? And Kagome also mentioned the Shikon no Tama. Surely that isn't just coincidence, and that story also has bearing on all of this?"

"Hey, yeah," Kuwabara agreed, "Kagome-chan **_did_** say that she'd found the shika-what's-it, didn't she? And she freaked out when you called her 'Kikyou-sama,' Koenma."

"So did Inuyasha," Yuusuke added, remembering.

"…" Koenma blinked and sucked his pacifier contemplatively. He had almost forgotten that part of their earlier conversation with the girl in his plight to learn the truth of the Artifacts of Ages.

"Koenma-sama?" Botan prompted when the young demigod had still not said anything.

Koenma looked up from staring at his hands on his desk. "Honestly, I hadn't really thought about it," he admitted casually.

Botan and Kurama sweatdropped as Yuusuke and Kuwabara both started a rant at Koenma. Hiei merely rolled his eyes at King Enma's son's ineptness.

Koenma waved his hands impatiently to quiet the humans yelling at him, "Well, anyway, that will still have to wait for what I need to finish telling you now. I will need to have another audience with my father, this time concerning the Shikon no Tama, before I can address that issue. Our records say it was destroyed, so perhaps the jewel Kagome-sama found is some sort of imitation and merely **_resembles_** the original."

Yuusuke groaned tiredly, "Whatever, Koenma, fine, it'll wait. Just tell us what you need to tell us so I can go home."

"Right," Koenma again drank from the water George had finally returned with and continued once more.

"So, things with power hungry ningen and youkai were getting out of hand again, and Reikai finally had to step in. I was still merely a child, and have no real knowledge of the occurrences of this time; but, according to the records, Reikai employees were sent to control the situation.

Officially, the Trees of Ages were quarantined, their magic contained and the Trees destroyed, so no other Artifacts would make their way into the hands of evil. Imitation artifacts had been made by the few able to get their hands on the coveted wood, which the Trees were then quickly, and rightfully so, become stingy about sharing. These fakes were also collected and destroyed, though their powers quickly waned within a matter of days anyway. And so, out of reality and into the history books went the Trees **_and_** the Artifacts of Ages. That is the official, open-records story that was passed through legend from that time forward.

As I'm sure you've already guessed, though, this is not what really happened as I have learned today.

What really happened was this: Reikai **_tried_** to do exactly what the official records **_say_** they did. However, the magic of the Trees had existed since the dawn of time; perhaps even before Reikai; and even my father and his most powerful underlings could not overcome the ancient powers of the Trees of Ages. They **_did_** destroy all the fake artifacts, but the most they could do about the Trees was put barriers around them so they would not be found and further exploited. Then the story of their destruction was leaked out purposely in order to deter anyone else from searching for them.

By that time, the comb had been destroyed and only four of the five true Artifacts remained, since, during the Sengoku Jidai, the Nikuzuki no Men had not yet been destroyed, and Reikai contemplated doing the same with them as they'd done with the Trees. However, the Nikuzuki no Men had already been contained by the monk's efforts, they could not locate the taiyoukai or his imp vassal that possessed the Nintoujou, and the well and bow of the miko and hanyou were deemed still necessary. Evidently, during the process of putting the barriers around the Trees, it was learned, through a vision given by the Tree of Power to one of my father's closest and most trusted advisors, that each Artifact had a specific purpose for its creation. The comb that had been destroyed and the mask that **_would be_** destroyed had strayed from their intended path, but the remaining three had yet to disappoint the Trees that made them. Furthermore, not allowing the Artifacts to play out their parts would be dangerous, in that it would mess with the flow of time as it was meant to be.

Apparently, the true reason for the Trees' existence in the first place has something to do with the flow of time and, though they were not exactly kami, they were something similar. Almost nature's embodiment of the same forces Reikai stood for, but in the mortal realm. They **_allowed_** Reikai to put up their barriers, in order to safeguard the world they were meant to protect by keeping time in order, with the promise that Reikai would, in turn, protect the remaining Artifacts. No actions were to be made to interfere, unless evil got its hands on an Artifact again. Reikai was to simply sit back and watch, keeping their invisible vigil, and let things play out naturally. If, however, the remaining Artifacts became corrupted, they were to be immediately contained as the Trees had been. In fact, they were to be placed in the same barrier with the Tree they'd come from, in order to be purified of evil and forevermore hidden from the likes of ningen and youkai alike."

"And there you have it," Koenma said finally. "That is everything I've gotten from the records my father has given me. These files George brought in when we came in earlier contain copies of the records for you, in case you need to refresh yourselves on any details I've given you." He motioned to the stack the oni had put on his desk, and George passed several files out to the group.

Kuwabara took his share of the file folders and flipped through them a bit. It seemed there was one folder for each of the five Artifacts. "I have one more question, Shrimp. If the Trees wanted Reikai to contain Artifacts that had gotten into the hands of evil, why did they let the taiyoukai keep the staff? I mean, he was evil, wasn't he? He killed humans, and even had human heads added to the staff to make it more powerful!"

Koenma shrugged and shook his head, "It isn't stated clearly why they let the taiyoukai keep the staff, only that its destiny hadn't been completed yet. As I said before, back then, it wasn't necessarily seen as evil to kill a ningen. Only when the killing became massacres and threatened the balance of ningen and youkai did Reikai get involved. After all, youkai were still mostly seen as the dominant species back then, and had existed far longer than mortals. Mostly the affairs of the living world were handled by the kami and deities of that time. And, as I also said before, the staff may have played a part in the separation of Ningenkai and Makai. If so, that may have been the destiny the Trees had in store for it and why Reikai was made to leave it be."

The four tantei soaked it all in, feeling their minds become much fuller from the excess of new information. They all left the offices of Reikai that night with many new thoughts about their current case, and what their next steps would be in regards to Kagome and Inuyasha.

* * *

Botan collapsed into one of the remaining chairs in Koenma's office after taking the tantei back to Ningenkai. Koenma was busying himself with his usual task of stamping papers and hadn't noticed her. She took a look around the room, thinking of all the hard work she'd put in to find the boxes of files that still bookended Koenma's desk, and sighed. 

"Koenma-sama?" She spoke, finally catching his attention, "Did you still need these files, or should I go ahead and return them to the Records Room?"

The demigod looked up from his task to cast his gaze around at the boxes he'd asked the girl to bring him earlier and sucked his pacifier in thought. "Take them to Yuusuke and the others. Maybe they'll find something useful in them too." Rethinking this idea, though, he added, "Better give them **_copies_**, though, Botan."

* * *

Pale lips pressed in a thin line, black eyes slowly glowing with a ring of red beneath colorless bangs as their owner contemplated her plan's progress. Or, rather, lack thereof. The lips opened slightly to reveal short, almost child-like fangs, and a low growl escaped between the exposed teeth. "Ah, where has she hidden them? Where has Kagome hidden the Shikon no Tama no Kakera! She must have them!" 

The once again completely black eyes squinted into a round mirror, narrowing at the picture of a peacefully asleep Kagome she saw there.

"Na-kun!" she called out suddenly.

Her son immediately appeared in the doorway from one of the many halls leading out of her main throne room. She beckoned him to her with a motion of her hand, and he bowed low before her, at her feet. When he raised his head, his eyes held a certain light in them she hadn't seen for years. It caused her to revert to her normal soft, calm, almost monotone voice.

"When will your plan begin to work, Na-kun? If it takes much longer, the Reikai dogs may ruin everything again."

"Okaa-sama," the boy addressed her in a similar monotone, casting his eyes down again, "Gomen nasai. I know it is up to me now, and I have been failing you. I promise you, my failure will not continue. Just give me a little more time. I am following the instructions and warnings you gave me, but it is not something that can be rushed. I promise, though, we shall see the fruits of all our work soon enough."

"Very well, my son," she replied, bowing her head in acceptance of his promise. "I have waited this long, I do have patience enough to give your plan time to work."

"Arigatou, okaa-sama," he bowed again to the ground and she dismissed him.

When the boy was gone, she turned again to her mirror. Softly she spoke to the peaceful reflection, "I **_will_** have the tama, miko. I have waited all this time; it **_will_** be mine."

* * *

Papers were spread all over the floor, bed, and laps of the four boys sitting or, in the case of Yuusuke, lying in various positions in Yuusuke's room. Five boxes of files sat relatively in the middle of the room, lids off and contents ruffled from having been rifled through multiple times already. Not that any of this made much of a difference to the state the room had been in before, only added to it. 

"What time is it?" Yuusuke groaned from beneath the papers he barely held above his head to read.

Kurama looked up from his papers and read the clock he could see from across the room. "Just past one."

At this, Kuwabara jumped up in a panic, "It's that late already? I gotta go home. Shizuru's gonna **_kill_** me." He started packing up his portion of the papers Koenma had given them, leaving the papers from the extra files Botan had brought them for Yuusuke to keep there.

Kurama stood calmly and gathered his things as well. "Perhaps it's time I head home as well. Kaa-san may worry if I don't return soon, and we **_do_** still have school tomorrow."

"I don't," Hiei took it upon himself to point out.

"By all means, stay with Yuusuke if you would like, Hiei," Kurama replied with a small smirk.

"By all means, feel free to leave, Hiei," Yuusuke countered.

Hiei scowled at both of them, red eyes flashing, and crossed his arms, leaning against the wall he sat in front of.

Yuusuke chuckled tiredly and stretched, sitting up on his bed. "Okay guys, I'm ready to call it a night too. Damn Koenma, as if I don't have enough homework without Reikai adding to it… Anyone read anything useful, anyway?"

"Not really," Kurama answered, "Most of the cases in these files were only instances where time travel was suspected, but were found to be the result of youkai spells or drugs that simply altered the memories of their victims, or something of the like."

Hiei nodded in agreement with this statement, still scowling.

"Same here," the black-haired human stated. He turned to the other redhead in the room. "Kuwabara?"

The tall teen paused in his shuffling of papers, staring down at the pages still in his hands that he was trying to stuff back into a file box, "Half of the stuff on these I can't even **_understand._** I've mostly been reading back through the papers Koenma gave us."

"You don't understand it! I knew you were braindead, Kuwabara, but I thought you could at least **_read_**," Yuusuke quipped.

"Hn," Hiei chuckled lowly at the remark at Kuwabara's expense.

"That's not what I meant, Urameshi!" Kuwabara defended, "It's in some sort of weird language…" He flipped back through the papers still in his hand and held out a handful, "See?"

Kurama took the proffered pages and looked through them, immediately seeing what the carrot-topped boy meant. "He's right, this seems to be in an archaic Makai language. I haven't seen this for ages..."

Hiei stood and looked curiously over Kurama's arm to read the pages for himself. His eyes widened and he wondered aloud, "Who writes the reports for Reikai?"

Kurama looked down at him, brilliant green eyes crinkling in a soft smile, "So you noticed as well, Hiei?"

"Huh? Noticed what?" Yuusuke asked.

"Well," Kurama began, "I don't know what the rest of the reports in this box are like, but it seems this particular case, at least, was written up by a foreigner."

"A foreigner?" Kuwabara was puzzled.

"Someone not from Makai, who doesn't speak the language," Hiei answered simply.

Yuusuke looked confused. Didn't the oni and other creatures working for Reikai originate in Makai? He took the papers to check them out for himself. His eyes nearly crossed trying to understand the weird shapes and symbols contained on the pages, turning the papers every which way while squinting, and he asked, "How can you tell?"

Hiei rolled his eyes and snatched the papers back, retreating to the wall nearest the window once more. "Baka."

Kurama explained, "A lot of Makai languages incorporate dialect into them as well. You can usually tell what area the writer is from just from the form of speech in the writing." Kurama glanced back at the papers in Hiei's hand, the fire youkai now reading through them intently, and added, "We can tell this wasn't written by a fluent speaker, though. There is an utter lack of dialect, plus the order of the phrasing is way off. It's written as if by someone trying to translate from Japanese."

Kuwabara's brow furrowed, "But why? I thought Japanese was the official language of Reikai. Why go through that trouble, if it was originally in Japanese anyway?"

Kurama shrugged, "I'm not sure why, Kuwabara-kun. It's not only that, either. The Makai language it's written in hasn't really been used for a couple hundred years. Perhaps the case itself holds some clues, though." He looked to Hiei for his opinion.

The Koorime met his gaze, giving no answer before returning to reading the pages.

Frustrated at being left mostly in the dark still, Kuwabara demanded, "Well, Short Stuff?"

Hiei whipped his fiery gaze to the human boy, eyes narrowed, and Kuwabara gulped slightly, backing down.

Yuusuke ran his hand over his face, rubbing at his tired eyes. "Alright, well we can go over this more tomorrow, ne? Now, I just want to get to sleep. Keiko will be on my case tomorrow if I'm late again… Oh shit!" he suddenly proclaimed.

"What's wrong, Yuusuke?" Kurama asked.

"I completely forgot about Keiko! I told her we'd meet up with her and Shizuru after we met with Kagome. Dammit! Now she really **_will_** kill me."

"Don't worry, Urameshi, we'll come to your funeral… again," Kuwabara remarked in amusement.

"Speak for yourself," Hiei muttered, lip twitching slightly as he tried to keep his expression stoic.

"Haha, you're funny," Yuusuke replied dryly, and pointed to his door. "Everybody out."

Kurama turned to retrieve the papers from Hiei in order to put them away, but the hybrid had already made his exit. The breeze from the slightly ajar window ruffled the pages that lay on the floor, having been abandoned by the small youkai. Sighing as he picked them up, Kurama handed them back to Kuwabara, and said, "Shall we meet here tomorrow after school, then? It would probably be best not to confront Kagome further until we have a better idea of what questions to ask her."

Yuusuke half-nodded, half-shrugged, "I guess. Whatever." He yawned as he put his own papers into a messy pile beside his bed and began to undress for bed, leaving his guests to show themselves out.

* * *

In the morning, Inuyasha still wasn't back. Kagome woke early in order to do her reiki meditations. She found a secluded part of the shrine grounds to work in, and was undisturbed for almost an hour before Souta came to get her for breakfast. 

Kagome joined her family in the kitchen and ate quickly to leave for school. When she was about to leave, however, she couldn't find her backpack anywhere. Remembering that Yukio had carried it for her the night before, she hoped that he had it and would bring it to her at school. She suddenly wished she'd gotten his phone number so she could call to make sure, and vowed to herself to get it today. It would be useful to have, anyway, since he would be her tutor until her grades picked up.

At school that day, she felt a bit more relaxed around Yukio than she had the day before, though she still felt his gaze on her quite often. During lunch, her friends even mentioned it, sounding giggly and swoony at the thought of the mysterious new guy being in love with their Kagome-chan.

Kagome continued to roll her eyes and deny any romance between them… but she couldn't help but blush at the comments. A couple times, she'd caught a gleam in Yukio's eyes when looking at her, that wasn't there with anyone else, and was surprised to find her heart speed up in excitement. She found herself counting down the hours and minutes until school was over.

Before class, Yukio had asked Kagome if that afternoon would be okay to begin their tutoring sessions. Seeing as Inuyasha still seemed to be stubbornly pissed at her, and she had planned on being in her time at least another two days for school anyway, Kagome agreed. Yukio had smiled genuinely when she said yes, and Kagome wondered at how he could have such a vacant look the rest of the time.

When the school day finally ended, Yukio joined Kagome and her friends as they walked home. The girls split off at an intersection, proceeding to their respective homes, and Yukio and Kagome continued on to her house at the shrine.

Kagome introduced the boy to her mother, and then led him to the living room to begin their session. Souta was in there playing a video game, but was promptly kicked out by Kagome with orders to do his homework first, which he followed only after a bit of arguing with his older sister. The two teens then started in on their own homework before beginning Kagome's actual tutoring.

When their normal assignments were mostly done, Kagome still having math to do, the real studying began. Yukio helped Kagome with her formulas and she finished her homework with a near-understanding of her work and how she'd gotten the answers. Then Yukio made up some extra problems and they worked on them together. When she would get stuck on something, he would lean closer to her and gently explain the theory.

He kept finding excuses to do this. As Kagome became more confident in her own work, he would give her praise and lean even closer to admire her work, the side of his body pressing against hers. A couple times, he pointed to a problem Kagome was working on right then, just barely ghosting his fingers against hers in the process.

Kagome at first thought maybe it was coincidence, accidental, he didn't know he was doing it. The third time, however, he ran his index finger over hers lightly but deliberately, and Kagome gasped and looked at him in question. She barely had time to see that look in his eyes again, the one he'd been giving her all day, before he stole his second kiss from her in twenty-four hours.

End Chapter Fifteen

* * *

_**Words First Appearing in Chapter Fifteen:**_

**_Mou:_** Jeez, etc.

**_Inuyasha no Mori:_** Inuyasha's Forest

**_Musashi:_** the country side of feudal Japan where Inuyasha takes place

**_hime:_** princess

**_daimyo:_** Japanese feudal lord

**_baba:_** old woman/hag

**_inu-no-taiyoukai:_** high class dog demon

**_Nintoujou:_** Staff of heads

**_Noh (or 'Nou'):_** a classical Japanese performance form which combines elements of dance, drama, music and poetry into one highly aesthetic stage art (source: http/ www . iijnet . or . jp / NOH-KYOGEN / english / english1 . html other research source: http/ www . yohkihi . com / project / japan / 5nou . htm remove spaces for more info, google)

**_Nikuzuki no Men:_** Mask of Flesh

**_Shikon no Tama no Kakera:_** shard(s) of the Shikon Jewel

* * *

**_A/N:_** Happy Late Thanksgiving! Hope everyone had a great holiday… here's a new chapter for ya while the holiday weekend's still goin' on. Sorry if it's rather… Koenma-monologue-y… Wouldn't it be nice if the next one was up in time for Christmas? (cough) yeah.. um… don't hold your breath… (sweatdrops) I think I've put too much on my plate, sorry. Okay, so just to give you guys an idea, here's my current plan: After posting this chapter, I'm going to write the next chapter for my other IY/YYH fic, AND2, then I'm going to finish my Gravitation fic, Disappearing Act, since it's going to be much shorter than any of my other fics and only has a few chapters left anyway. Then I will get working on UA again… somewhere in there real life has to fit in too… so, yeah, it'll be a bit before UA updates again, but there's still lots to go on it and I've been refining my outline for the ending lately, so hang in there with me, it'll get there eventually. I'm thinkin'… well, it'd be nice if I had the next chapter up by my birthday, but it's probably more reasonable to just hope for **_sometime_** in February rather than the first week. Hope you guys can be patient with me 'til then! Who knows, maybe a sudden inspiration will hit me for a chapter that I'll just **_have_** to write down and you guys will get an update sooner than expected! Hey, it could happen! cough yeah… again, don't hold your breath… 

**_To All My Reviewers:_** I'm glad you guys are sticking with me and are still enjoying the story! I hope those of you that wanted a certain pairing from this story aren't too disappointed to keep reading… and… though I'm still not saying what the ultimate pairing will be for Kagome… it may not be what most of you expect… but who knows… we'll see I guess… heheheh… anyways…

* * *

Please Read and Review! 


	17. Meanwhile, Elsewhere

Unexpected Ally

Disclaimer: YYH belongs to Yoshihiro Tagashi; IY belongs to Rumiko Takahashi; Unfortunately, I am neither one of them, and make no money from this. Pity me!

Chapter Sixteen: Meanwhile, Elsewhere…

When Sango and Miroku had taken the job to help the village, they'd immediately picked up and left with the messenger. When they arrived, the village was under fierce attack by a group of several large insect-like youkai. Many villagers were being chased through the village, quite a few homes and part of the fortress-like wall around the village had been smashed, and a few fires had broken out during the chaos. Miroku and Sango jumped right in, leaving Kirara to keep an eye on Shippou and Kohaku. The monk and demon slayer together killed about seven demons easily, and Kohaku and Kirara both killed one each as a pair came after the neko-babysitter.

After all the youkai had been disposed of, the fires were put out and the injured were helped. Luckily no one had been killed and there were no life-threatening injuries. The group was eagerly received into the village, an impromptu celebratory feast made in their honor, with several young women of the village putting on a small performance of dance for them in appreciation. Sango had immediately grown irritated, as she noticed a familiar gleam coming into the monk's eyes as he watched the girls. She was then very surprised when the monk did not do his usual leering and ask the girls to bear his child, but merely thanked them for the dance and asked to speak to the headman of the village.

A short audience later, they were provided with a large room to stay in, complete with several futons, bed coverings, and a few free-standing rice-paper screens to change behind and separate their sleeping areas.

Arrangements had been made with the village for them to stay at least a week, room and board provided along with a small fee for their services. In that time, they would not only protect the village but investigate where all the youkai were coming from, and why. The villagers hoped that the famous band that had helped rid this world of Naraku would be able to end the attacks once and for all.

Before going to sleep that night, Miroku and Sango discussed their plans of action. In order to make the most use of their time, they decided it would be best to split their work up between them. Miroku would start the investigating, talking with villagers and scouting out rumors from the surrounding area, while Sango took care of most of the demon slaying, assisted by Kohaku who had shyly offered to help. Shippou insisted he could help, too, but both adults thought it would be safer for Shippou to stay inside the village. They convinced him he would still be helping because he could do a bit of his own information gathering as he played with the other children. Kirara would stay near Shippou as added protection to both the young kitsune and the children of the village.

In the morning, they ate breakfast with the headman and his daughters, and Sango was once again surprised when Miroku restrained himself from his usual behavior. Instead, he seemed interested in engaging Kohaku in conversation. They talked of the youkai they had seen the day before and possible origins of them, as Kohaku had learned much about many different types of demons during his time with Naraku.

Afterwards, the group split up as they had planned. Miroku left the village with a guide in order to dig up more information from nearby residences outside the village. Sango and Kohaku left for their sentry duty with the other guards of the village, leaving Shippou and Kirara behind as the headman's youngest daughter, a girl of about six years, fawned over them.

Things were quiet for a couple hours, nothing out of the ordinary occurring, and Sango had just begun to relax when they were suddenly attacked. The sky darkened, filled with the writhing, roaring bodies of many youkai as they swooped down towards the village. Immediately, Sango was at the ready, Kohaku at her side. The siblings put their childhood training to good use and managed to keep most of the youkai at bay and away from the village, soon killing all of the youkai at the gate. A few slipped past their defenses, however, and Sango ran to the inner part of the village when she heard the roars of Kirara and Shippou's cries of "Kitsune Bi!" as the two protected a group of children that seemed to be targeted by the youkai.

Sango made it to them just in time, sending her Hiraikotsu to rip the heads off the attacking youkai. However, as the large boomerang came back to her, she heard the cries of Kohaku near the entrance to the village. Turning back around, she let out a shrill cry for her brother as a large toothy mouth came down to devour the boy. Just before Kohaku could disappear into the mouth, three sutras were thrown against the demon, paralyzing it as a large staff came down upon it and purified it. As its body dissolved and disappeared, Sango breathed a heavy sigh of relief, running to hug her brother and thank the man that had saved him; Miroku. She surprised both Miroku and herself by throwing her arms around the monk and kissing him full on the lips, tears streaming down her face at the thought of almost losing her brother again.

The awkward moment between the two after this action did not last too long, as then Shippou and Kirara came running up to jump on Kohaku, glad he'd been saved. Sango used the distraction to discontinue her hold on Miroku and gravitated back to her brother, hoping she'd somehow saved face. So worried was she about her own actions, Sango didn't even stop to wonder why Miroku hadn't groped her or made a lewd comment like he usually would.

She took Kirara from Kohaku's arms in order to hug her brother again, holding him tightly in her embrace. A small squeak of a sob brought her attention back to the neko youkai and she watched in a mixture of shock and wry amusement as Myouga jumped from Kirara's fur, tears streaking down his face, and he ran off. She was surprised he hadn't fled before then.

After things calmed, relatively, in the village again, everyone split off to return to their assigned duties, though Miroku decided to stay in the village in order to be close at hand if there was another attack. A few hours later, Sango still paced the perimeter of the village, keeping an eye out for the next attack. She hoped it wouldn't be soon.

When a cry of, "Halt! Come no further demon!" erupted from a guard near the gate, she felt her heart begin to race and her body instinctively went back into battle-mode as she ran towards the entrance to the village.

* * *

"Did Shizuru say what was so important?" Yuusuke asked Kuwabara as he and his friends walked from school. 

The carrot-topped boy shook his head, "Just that we needed to meet her right after school."

"Whatever it is, it must be important if it couldn't even wait until she was off work," Kurama reasoned.

"But it could wait until school let out?" Yuusuke countered.

"Because Shizuru-san knows what I'd do if you skipped out on school again, Urameshi Yuusuke," said a female voice from behind Yuusuke. He sweatdropped as Keiko matched his pace to walk beside him.

"Whatever the reason, did you have to bring **_her_**, Yuusuke?" Hiei asked, less than pleased at the addition to their group today.

Keiko looked offended at his tone and about to go off, but Yuusuke put an arm around her, hugging her tightly to his side, and spoke before she could. "Sorry, Hiei, but I promised Keiko I'd spend the day with her today since I accidentally abandoned her yesterday. Besides, what harm is there in bringing her to see Shizuru at work?"

"Hn," was the small youkai's reply and he went to walk beside Kurama at the back of the group.

They soon arrived at the beauty salon where Kuwabara Shizuru worked. Keiko ran in front of everyone and barred their way from the door. "Hold up, everyone, let me just go in first. Actually, I think Shizuru-san's shift is almost over. We don't need to bring this many people inside just to troop out again, ne? You wait here, and I'll go tell her you're here."

Keiko ran inside, and the boys obediently stayed outside, Hiei perching in a tree Kurama chose to lean against. Yuusuke and Kuwabara sat on a nearby bench to wait.

Inside, Keiko quickly spotted Shizuru finishing cleaning up her space before she left. "Shizuru-san," she called hushedly to her as she approached. The sandy-haired girl looked up at her. "Shizuru-san, the boys are outside. I told them to wait there, and I would tell you they're here. I needed to talk to you first… I mean, since we agreed I shouldn't talk to Yuusuke about this… that is… ano…"

"Did you feel something weird last night, Keiko-chan?" Shizuru asked.

Keiko nodded, eyes wide.

Shizuru nodded back. "I think I know why. Come on, help me clean up and we'll get out to the boys faster. I need to tell them this too… but while we're in here, you can talk to me…"

Keiko smiled at her gratefully. "Arigatou, Shizuru-san. It was last night, as I was sitting down to dinner after you dropped me off at home. I felt a weird energy pull at me and then get sucked back from wherever it came from. Does that make sense, Shizuru-san?"

Shizuru nodded again, "That was the barrier opening. You know about the barrier between Ningenkai and Makai, ne?"

"Hai," the younger girl answered.

"Well, last night on the way home from dropping you off, I thought I saw that boy again. You know, the one that gave you a weird feeling yesterday on our walk? Only, this one was carrying a backpack, so I didn't think it was him at first… but then I followed him to an alley and watched him go into a portal in the barrier! And thinking back on it now, I think it really may have been that same boy, Keiko-chan! You know, cuz he was so pretty but so eerie… I want to take Yuusuke and the boys past that café we were across from yesterday to see if he's there, then I want to take them to that alley. Did they say anything about a breach in the barrier last night?"

Keiko shook her head, "No, they evidently were listening to an important case from Koenma-sama, and then they were reviewing other cases all night, trying to find out something about Kagome-chan. What exactly, they didn't say… I wonder what's so special about Kagome-chan, Shizuru-san."

Shizuru blinked at her, "Y'know, that's a good question, Keiko-chan. I don't know what it is, but there's **_somethin'_** about that girl I guess."

Finally, the two girls exited the salon and joined Yuusuke, Kurama, Hiei, and Shizuru's little brother, Kuwabara Kazuma, outside.

Shizuru slung her purse over her shoulder, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. Exhaling, she said, "I have something I need to ask you."

"What is it, Shizuru?" Yuusuke asked, sounding put upon.

"Did you get alerted to any breaks in the barrier last night? Perhaps around sunset?"

Hiei's eyebrow quirked up and he said, "No, we did not. That was about the time last night that Kagome and Inuyasha disappeared again, though. Why?"

"I saw someone going through a portal to Makai last night," Shizuru answered.

"You did? Around sunset?" Shizuru nodded at Yuusuke.

"I wonder if it has anything to do with how Kagome and Inuyasha disappeared," Kuwabara thought out loud.

"I don't believe Kagome or Inuyasha went through any mere Ningenkai/Makai barrier, though," Kurama stated.

Hiei frowned and nodded absently, "Perhaps it was timed that way so that we would not notice? Maybe something about the way Kagome and Inuyasha time travel allowed the breach in the barrier to go unnoticed by the sensors in Reikai, too, otherwise Koenma would have said something about it. Or at least, Botan would have."

"Wow, Shorty, that's the most I've heard you talk at once in awhile," Kuwabara suddenly laughed.

Hiei glared at him, cheeks slightly red.

"**_Anyway_**," Shizuru interrupted, "I wanted to take you past where the portal was… but first, I want to take you past where Keiko-chan and I first saw the kid I think went through the barrier. Maybe he'll be there again." Shizuru grabbed Keiko's arm and the two girls led the boys to the café they'd seen that odd boy at yesterday.

Yuusuke ran to keep up and asked Keiko, "You were there for this also, Keiko?"

Keiko shook her head emphatically no, "I was with Shizuru-san when we saw him at the café, but I didn't see the portal thing she's talking about. I was about to eat dinner when—"

"Keiko-chan!" Shizuru gasped and pulled on her suddenly, walking faster than Yuusuke who stared after them questioningly. She looked at the brown-haired girl, "You can't tell him yet, Keiko-chan. Not right now, he has too much to worry about as it is, remember?"

Keiko looked apologetic and nodded, eyes downcast. Shizuru felt bad for her, but, honestly, waiting was best for now. If word got out, Keiko could be in danger as well, and Yuusuke already had enough to deal with concerning this case with Kagome, without having to worry about his girlfriend on top of it.

The boy wasn't at the café when they got there, but Shizuru pointed out where he'd been and where they'd been when she and Keiko had seen him. Yuusuke and the boys inspected the area.

"It seems like just an ordinary table," Kuwabara commented, tipping the round table back and forth.

"I don't sense anything out of the ordinary," Kurama agreed.

"It was the boy that was weird, not the table," Hiei said dryly.

"Perhaps we should talk to the person that served him," Kurama suggested.

"Already on it," Yuusuke said before walking inside. The others waited for him, watching through the front window as he talked to a girl behind the counter and she then directed him to another girl currently busing a table. He spoke to her for a minute, then came back outside.

"Well, Urameshi?" asked Kuwabara impatiently.

Yuusuke shrugged. "Nothing out of the ordinary, according to the waitress. She did mention that he was a 'hottie', but a bit aloof, not that that means anything to our case. I say we've done all we can here. Let's go look at that alley you mentioned, Shizuru."

Shizuru led them to the alley, not too far from where Keiko lived actually, and the boys got to inspecting. Kurama immediately started sniffing around curiously.

**_'What's the matter, fox, the smell not agree with you?'_** Hiei asked mockingly, calling attention to the two dumpsters in the alley.

_'It's not that, Hiei,'_ Kurama insisted, still sniffing_. 'I smell… Kagome.'_

**_'What!'_** Hiei asked, not sure he heard right.

"Kagome," Kurama repeated, this time aloud so everyone could hear.

Yuusuke looked at him, "What do ya mean, 'Kagome'? You smell Kagome in this alley?"

Kurama nodded. "It's… very faint… but it's definitely Kagome."

Hiei rolled his eyes. "Or someone was carrying around something sakura-scented."

Kurama's green eyes tinged gold for a moment as he focused on the fire youkai, "It's **_Kagome_**."

"Hn, okay, kitsune, whatever you say," Hiei replied, crossing his arms and scowling lightly.

"Okay, we have a problem then," Yuusuke began. "We already decided we wouldn't approach Kagome until we had a better idea of what we were dealing with, but now we're faced with the possibility that she has either gone through a Makai barrier willingly, or she's been kidnapped."

"Or there's a completely different answer altogether," Hiei added stubbornly. "This portal was opened at the same time she and Inuyasha disappeared on the other side of town."

"She could have been here at a different time. Maybe she passed by here yesterday when she ran away from us in the park," Kuwabara offered.

"That is a possibility," Kurama agreed with a nod of his head.

"What should we do?" Yuusuke wondered aloud, looking first to Kurama for suggestions.

"Why don't we just go check on Kagome-chan and see if she's home and if she's alright?" Keiko suggested. Everyone looked at her.

"Yeah, Keiko-chan has a point. Wouldn't that be the simplest and fastest solution?" Shizuru agreed.

The boys for the most part agreed, and they headed towards the shrine that by now was becoming very familiar. Keiko and Shizuru came along curiously, Keiko never having seen Kagome's house and Shizuru never having met Kagome yet.

Before they even got to Kagome's side of town, however, they were suddenly attacked by a group of five youkai. They leapt from the cover of some nearby bushes and immediately baited Yuusuke, Kurama, Hiei and Kuwabara in battle. Two large blue oni grabbed Yuusuke, keeping him from firing a shot at them. He struggled from their grasp, jabbing at them with his elbows and twisting his body violently, immediately sending a kick to one's head as the other ran away to try to escape the coming Rei Gun blast. When that one disappeared into a pile of ash, Yuusuke turned back to the others, only to be dragged down when the first one he'd kicked wrapped his arms around Yuusuke's ankles. He pulled Yuusuke down and held his arms down on either side of his body, leaning his weight on the human boy whose size he more than doubled.

Hiei and Kurama fought back to back, the two that had chosen them as opponents circling them. One guy was smaller than Hiei, and almost as fast it seemed. The other, Kurama couldn't read yet. He brought the rose from his hair and used his youki to lengthen it into a whip, brandishing it with a flourish. When he looked back at his opponent, the guy was standing there, a mirror image of Kurama, whip and all. Or, perhaps not a mirror image, but a negative image, for he'd even imitated Kurama's face and clothes, but the colors were like the negative of a picture. This other Kurama had green hair and red eyes, his whip was blood red and he wore a light-colored school uniform. The real Kurama wore a dark blue one, just as Kuwabara did. Yuusuke still seemed fond of his green uniform color that had never been the color he was supposed to wear at any of his schools.

Negative-Kurama smiled, and his teeth were black outlined with green. His red eyes glinted. He suddenly twirled, and his red whip went up to twirl around him. Black rose petals seemed to come up from the ground and twirl around just the two of them. Kurama wondered if they were poisonous and went to dodge, but realized he could not move. At first, he thought the petals had been poisonous and he'd been paralyzed by the poison. He then realized that the imitation of him was nothing more than a distraction for the shapeshifter to take control of Kurama's shadow, holding the kitsune in place with it. Negative-Kurama chuckled as he walked towards the boy, pulling a black-bladed, white-handled dagger from a sheath at his hip.

Hiei pulled his gleaming katana from his scabbard and leapt at the little guy. There was a flash of white that was the little guy's hair before he disappeared in front of Hiei's eyes. It was the first time in he couldn't remember how long that Hiei had encountered someone faster than him. Surely, the only person that had ever come close was Kurama in his Youko form. Hiei quickly picked up the tempo of the little guy, however, and was gaining on him. He would be able to outmaneuver him soon. Finally, Hiei saw an opening, a point when the little guy would have to slow down to change directions on him, and Hiei went for it, slicing through the air towards him with imperceptible speed. Hiei smirked as his katana went through the little youkai… and the youkai smirked back as he, once again, disappeared.

Kuwabara readied his Rei Ken and got in a stance for battle, but no youkai came after him. Instead, the fifth youkai grabbed the two girls and ran off. Kuwabara ran after him, but was knocked over when he was punched hard in the stomach, kneed in the face, and pounded on the back with two fists by a sixth one that had stayed behind the bushes. That one then ran to catch up with the other guy and took Shizuru out of his grasp so that they were each carrying only one girl.

"Come back here with my sister!" he growled at the two escaping youkai, but they merely laughed shrilly back at him.

Yuusuke kicked back his foot and hit the youkai on top of him in the back hard. Shocked from the sudden attack, he jumped, giving Yuusuke just the opportunity he needed to slide out from under him. He immediately leapt to his feet and punched the still-crouching youkai in the face, then kicked him in the balls and kneed him in the gut. Yuusuke readied his Rei Gun, aiming it at the blue guy's head. The guy barely had time to look surprised before his head was blown off and reduced to ash, the rest of his body slowly deteriorating away as well.

Hiei realized the little guy was really running away this time. He went to chase after him, when he spotted Kurama out of the corner of his eye. His red-haired friend seemed unable to move, and the guy he was fighting had just pulled a dagger from his waist and was walking towards Kurama with a grin on his face. Immediately abandoning his chase, Hiei leapt towards the youkai that was about to kill Kurama, his sword raised straight out in front of him. The katana sank through the flesh, muscle, and veins with a "squelch" as it rammed straight through the side of the youkai's neck. His movement stopped. Hiei pulled his sword from the youkai unceremoniously, and the body dropped. Kurama was released from the shadow-bind. Hiei used the youkai's own shirt to wipe his blood off the katana before re-sheathing the sword.

Yuusuke ran to where Kuwabara lay after being sucker punched by the hidden youkai.

"U-Ura… meshi…" Kuwabara called to him, voice strained. "Th-they got my sister… and Keiko-chan."

"Those bastards!" Yuusuke exclaimed. "What the fuck do they need Keiko for?"

"Don't worry, Yuusuke, we'll get her," Kurama assured the black-haired boy.

"I'm comin' with ya," Kuwabara said, slowly getting up. "They've got Shizuru too, ain't no way I'm leavin' her rescue up to you two."

"Enough talking, if we're going to catch up we need to go now," Hiei called to them from a few meters ahead.

"You're helping, Hiei?" Kurama asked, smiling at his friend.

Hiei's brow twitched, "The sooner we get those two onna back, the sooner we can get back to more important things, like finishing this case with that Kagome woman. We won't get anything done with those two moping about those other girls being gone."

Kurama chuckled softly at Hiei's excuse, but said nothing more. He picked up the scent of the girls and quickly led the other three boys along its trail. Suddenly, the trail just stopped. They found themselves in the middle of a small residential playground. There was no sign of the youkai, Keiko, or Shizuru anywhere.

"They left here," Kurama stated.

"What do you mean 'they left'," Kuwabara asked.

Yuusuke looked at Kurama questioningly and the kitsune nodded at him. Yuusuke's gaze hardened into a glare and he clenched his fists. "They left Ningenkai. They're in Makai now."

"Well," Hiei said, "What are we waiting for?" He then did something his friends had never personally seen him do before. He opened a portal to Makai.

* * *

Inuyasha sat on the lip of the well, looking down into it. He had wasted all the time he could. 

He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, and ended up wandering around the forest most of the night. In the morning, he had somehow found himself perched on the fence surrounding Kaede's herb garden, watching the old miko pick weeds. His watching had then mysteriously turned to helping, and together they had filled a basket full of weeds before Kaede spoke more than 'good morning' to him. She had then moved on to the vegetable garden, and Inuyasha had followed automatically.

It was then, as they tended the vegetables, that the old miko had begun to annoy Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha," the old woman addressed the hanyou. "What are you doing?"

"Keh, what does it look like, Kaede-baba? I'm picking weeds!" to emphasize this, he threw a particularly nasty looking weed into the basket.

"You know that is not what I mean, Inuyasha." She gave him a **_look_**. "Why have you not returned to Kagome?"

"That's none of your business, old woman. Drop it. I'll go back when **_I_** want to."

"You must have been in an awful hurry to run away from her if you didn't even have time to change back into your fire rat robes," the old miko said offhandedly. "Tell me, Inuyasha, what do you call these clothes you are wearing? Is this what all men wear in Kagome's time?"

Inuyasha looked down at himself, just now realizing he'd come back to his time still wearing his t-shirt and jeans. Reaching up to his head, he pulled off the bandana that had been tied there the entire time, and wiggled his flattened ears a bit. He was glad he had abandoned the sandals he was forced to wear in Kagome's time back at the shrine. Inuyasha stuffed the bandana in his back pocket and grumbled an answer to Kaede, who merely chuckled.

Inuyasha's eyebrow twitched as the woman continued to press him with that look, but he ignored her and continued his weeding. She didn't ask what had happened between them, but her continuous 'knowing' looks toward him, and her seemingly innocent remarks concerning Kagome waiting for him on the other side of the well, grew very irritating very quickly. Finally Inuyasha had enough and stalked off with a 'Keh!', throwing the last of the weeds he'd picked into the basket so forcefully that many weeds were knocked out of it.

Leaving the village, he had then come across Myouga, who fell like a piece of paper from where he'd been enjoying a drink on Inuyasha's nose when the hanyou smacked him off.

"Ah, Inuyasha-sama, you're so cruel to this old flea," Myouga complained once he'd recovered.

"Myouga-jiji, where've you been hiding?" Inuyasha questioned, holding the flea up to his face by the back of his small shirt.

"Nowhere! Myouga the Flea does not run from his duties! I have been keeping an eye on your companions as they have been out of the village."

"Eh? Sango and Miroku have been out of the village?" Inuyasha set the flea down on his shoulder and continued walking, no real destination in mind.

"Along with Shippou, Kohaku, and Kirara. Inuyasha-sama, you just came from the village, didn't you notice them missing? They've been gone since yesterday."

Inuyasha looked up to the sky, scratching his nose. "I didn't really think about it. It's still early and I have… other things on my mind… I suppose I thought they were all still asleep." He cast his eyes to the side, looking at the flea on his shoulder, "So where are they then, Myouga-jiji?"

The flea told his master of the village his friends had gone to work for, and Inuyasha decided while he was in this time he should at least check up on them. Who knew what kinds of trouble the monk could get himself into when Inuyasha wasn't around to keep him in check?

"So if everyone is still at this village we're heading for, where were you going just now?" the hanyou asked his vassal, eyebrow raised suspiciously.

Myouga frowned at his young master. "Inuyasha-sama, do not doubt your humble servant! I was merely going to check on Kaede-sama to make sure the village is safe while Miroku-tachi are away."

"Then they weren't in trouble when you left?"

"Of course not, Inuyasha-sama. Your friends do know how to handle themselves, after all. They had the situation under control and things were quiet when I left."

Satisfied with Myouga's answers, Inuyasha had let up on the interrogation. The flea, however, seemed to have a death wish anyway, as he then said, "Inuyasha-sama, I've been meaning to ask you, what are these strange clothes you're wearing? I've never seen anything like them! Are they from Kagome's country? By the way, where **_is_** Kagome?" The only answer he received was Inuyasha's hand flattening him again. He took the hint and they continued in relative silence.

After traveling almost a quarter of the day, Inuyasha and Myouga finally came upon the village. Walking up to the village that housed his friends, he heard cries go out of, "Halt! Come no further demon!" and "Youkai attacking! Sango-sama, youkai are attacking again!" Inuyasha's senses immediately perked up as he searched for signs of the attacker, ready to tear them to shreds before his friends in the village even laid eyes on it. Needless to say, he was a bit confused when he saw no one: no youkai; nothing.

Then he realized. The guards were screaming about him.

Inuyasha growled and grumbled to himself. Once again he was being judged stereotypically. He leapt to the top of the fortress gate, landing right beside one of the yelling guards.

"**_Who's_** attacking?" he asked in a growl, cracking his knuckles as he brandished his claws, brow twitching, ears thrust forward, and vein throbbing in his forehead. Really, how much further was his patience expected to stretch?

The guards atop the wall of the gate were paralyzed in fear, and the two closest to Inuyasha were about to attempt a jab at him with their speared staffs, but just then Sango appeared between them.

"What's wrong? Where are the youkai? Did you kill them already?"

Inuyasha crossed his arms, disappointed not to have his haori sleeves to hide them as usual, and stuck his nose up, sniffing out, "Keh! There aren't any youkai. These bozos were yelling about me."

Sango turned to the hanyou, "Inuyasha? Is that you? I barely recognized you in those clothes!"

Slowly realization was dawning on the faces of the guards as they realized this person was Inuyasha, the leader of the group that had come to help their village, and a couple of the guards began trying to stammer out their apologies. "Gomen nasai, Inuyasha-sama, forgive our rudeness. We did not know what you looked like. We'd been told you usually wore red haori and hakama. We weren't expecting this strange costume." They were peering at him curiously, wanting to inspect his strange dress.

"Whatever," Inuyasha turned from their curious stares and followed Sango into the village.

He was thankful Sango didn't interrogate him about his clothes, but then he figured she probably knew they were from Kagome's time already anyway. He could recall a few times that Kagome had brought back some of those weird books from her era; she called them magazines; with pictures of people she called 'models, actors, and rock stars' in them. Inuyasha had said he wasn't interested, but he had snuck a peek when the girls weren't looking and saw quite a few people pictured on the pages, in clothing very similar to his.

Inuyasha was surprised to see the damage the village had taken from the recent increase in youkai attacks, but was glad to see that things seemed to be under control. Amazingly, Miroku was still alive, which to the hanyou spoke wonders for his behavior, since apparently Sango hadn't killed the pervert yet. Sango and her brother, Kohaku, were taking sentry duty around the village, keeping watch on the perimeter for any more attacks, and Miroku was evidently putting his monk skills to actual use, going around the village doing real exorcisms, putting up seals and talismans for protection.

Shippou and Kirara were playing with some village children in the square when Inuyasha strode into the village with Sango.

"Inuyasha!" Shippou exclaimed, jumping onto the hanyou to hug him in greeting. "I **_knew_** I smelled you!" He rubbed his nose into the collar of Inuyasha's strange black shirt and smelled a hint of Kagome there as well and sighed.

"Alright, twerp, alright, that's enough," Inuyasha complained, though he still gave a pat to the top of the kit's head and let him sit on his shoulder.

"Are you here to help us, Inuyasha?" the kit asked curiously. "Where's Kagome, I smell her on your shirt but she's not here? She's going to help too, isn't she? Do you think there are jewel shards involved? Where's Kagome? Maybe she can sense them!"

Thinking twice on his kindness, Inuyasha plucked the eager, question-spewing kit from his shoulder by the nape of his neck and tossed him off, straight into Sango's arms.

"Can't I do anything without Kagome? Do I always have to have her tagging along with me? You should be happy I'm here at all!" At that, he stomped off in the direction he'd seen Miroku.

Sango stayed behind, holding Shippou who now had Myouga on his head, and the three simply looked at each other knowingly. Another day, another 'lover's spat' between Inuyasha and Kagome.

Escaping to Miroku turned out to be no escape at all, as the monk also immediately inquired after Kagome, wondering how she was doing these past two days and if she was okay doing her meditations on her own so far. Seeing the look on Inuyasha's face, however, he soon abandoned those questions in favor of others.

"What happened between you and Kagome-sama, Inuyasha?" the monk asked as he and the hanyou walked a more secluded path on the outskirts of the village.

"Nothing," Inuyasha replied stubbornly.

Miroku then blocked Inuyasha's path and frowned at him. "Inuyasha, it does neither of you any good to go through these childish motions. You've been through this a hundred times or more, so one would **_think_** you two would be used to the cycle by now, but evidently you're not. Whatever it is that has you upset with Kagome-sama right now, it surely can't be bad enough to abandon your duties."

Inuyasha was going to protest. He wasn't 'abandoning his duties'. Miroku cut him off before he could though, placing a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder.

"You made a promise that you would always protect her. From what you and Kagome-sama told us last time, it seems her time isn't completely safe for her or the jewel right now. I know Kaede-sama has put a protective spell on the jewel, and Kagome-sama's powers are quickly maturing now that her soul is complete, but she is still vulnerable. As long as the jewel remains incomplete, Kagome-sama could be in danger. Surely whatever spat you two are having is not important enough to leave Kagome-sama unprotected on her side of the well. Inuyasha, you should return to her. I feel an ominous aura heavy in the air, and somehow I don't believe it is limited to just this village, or this time for that matter, and I fear what may happen if Kagome-sama is left unguarded."

Inuyasha didn't reply. He merely kept on walking, pushing past Miroku. He didn't want to admit it, but Miroku's words rang true. No matter what may be going on between them, and he seriously wasn't sure what **_was_** going on between them right now, it was no excuse to leave Kagome alone for so long. If nothing else, he should at least be there to keep an eye on her and keep her out of trouble.

Miroku left Inuyasha to his own internal thoughts and returned to the busier part of the village to see how the others were doing. Eventually, Inuyasha returned as well, looking, to Miroku at least, a bit mellower than he'd seemed before.

When Inuyasha returned, the group was sitting together, discussing the events of the past day.

"…and you still have no leads, then?" Myouga was asking.

Miroku shook his head, "So far, it seems to be random. None of the villagers has any idea why the village would be specifically targeted, there are no local legends or superstitions concerning specific youkai or spirits in this area, and the village isn't all that wealthy, either. This village must simply be located in a youkai hot-spot of some sort."

"It does seem that way," Sango agreed. "There's no organization to the attacks, and they just seem to be out to cause destruction. It probably is just another case of youkai celebration now that word has gotten out that Naraku is dead."

"But Naraku was a demon just like them. They're celebrating the death of their own kind!" Shippou piped up.

"Actually, Shippou, if you'll remember, Naraku was a hanyou," Myouga corrected the young fox. "And besides, Naraku's existence plagued both humans and demons. I'm sure now that he's gone, many youkai feel as if a great weight has been lifted from them."

"Well, whatever the reason may be," Sango said, "It seems the youkai that have been attacking are still rather weak. I don't think we'll have too much trouble protecting the village. If we find out exactly where all these youkai are coming from to attack, we may even be able to end the attacks altogether."

Deciding his friends had the situation well under control, and there was no need for him to be worried about them right now, Inuyasha finally decided to head back to Kaede's village… and the well.

Which is where he still sat, staring down into the darkness of the dry pit.

"Well," Inuyasha said to himself, "Here goes nothin'." With that, he hopped down off the ledge, letting the light of the magic of the well engulf him.

* * *

Kagome barely had time to see that look in Yukio's eyes again, the one he'd been giving her all day, before he stole his second kiss from her in twenty-four hours. This kiss, though, was not the quick, chaste kiss of the night before. He gently caught her lips up with his, softly moving his mouth over hers. Before Kagome's brain could react, he held her face in his hands and pressed a little more, and she pressed back slightly on instinct without really thinking about it. Taking this as permission, he pulled away for a split second, only to angle their heads better and kiss her again, this time more insistently. Their breathing quickened, and Yukio nipped at her lips with his, enticing them open in order to slip his tongue in. At the feeling of the warm, wet muscle invading her lips, Kagome's brain finally came back online, and she pushed him away, putting her hand to her lips. 

Eyes wide, she looked at him, shocked and questioning. He stared back at her, eyes slightly glazed over, and said nothing.

"Yuki-kun?" she said, uncertain and nervous.

"Kagome-chan," he replied softly. "Gomen, I… couldn't stand it anymore. I had to kiss you." His strange red and gold eyes shined at her, his gaze almost hypnotic. She couldn't turn away as he scooted closer to her again, this time facing her. "Was that wrong, Kagome-chan? Is it wrong to want to kiss you?"

Kagome had a strange feeling come over her, but wasn't sure what it was exactly. Her heart and breathing held a strange rhythm, and she felt slightly tingly, but at the same time, her stomach seemed to flip-flop in a not-so-pleasant way. Trying to think and figure out what she was feeling, immediately the image of an irate Inuyasha came into her mind and she cursed mentally, scolding herself. Hadn't she decided just the night before that she wasn't going to feel guilty about stuff like this?

Trying to be bolder than she felt, she answered her tutor, "N-no… I guess not…" She blushed and looked away from his eyes finally, breaking the spell that seemed to leave her breathless, and she felt as if a fog in her mind cleared a bit. She shook her head of the feeling, and finally looked up again. Yukio was now smiling at her again, and she again found herself wondering why his smile never reached his eyes any other time. He had a sweet smile and it made his strangely-colored eyes come alive.

"But… Yuki-kun…?" Kagome spoke again.

"Hai, Kagome-chan?" he replied in his gentle voice.

"I really should finish these problems right now," she answered, pointing to her abandoned paper.

A small bit of pink tinged his porcelain pale cheeks as he agreed, and they returned to their former positions sitting side by side at the low table. Kagome had just picked up her pencil to continue, when Yukio put his hand over hers.

She looked at him. "Yuki-kun?"

"Kagome-chan, will you go on a date with me?" he asked a bit shyly.

Kagome could already imagine the comments her friends would have when they heard about this. Her normal reaction to questions like this was to try to politely say no, but somehow she always ended up agreeing anyway. This time, however, she found herself **_wanting_** to agree. She'd never actually been on a date. Not a real date at least, with someone her friends hadn't forced on her. And though she didn't really know him that well still, or maybe because of this, Kagome was curious and wanted to see what a real date with Yukio would be like. She agreed. They would go the next night, after another tutoring session.

Kagome finished her problems for the night, and saw Yukio to the door as the sun was going down. Before leaving, he shyly gave her a peck on the cheek, causing both of the teens to blush slightly. Then he walked off, towards the steps that led out of the shrine. Kagome was just about to close the door and head to the kitchen to help her mother with dinner, when she felt a familiar energy sweep through the shrine grounds, originating from the wellhouse.

The sound of an old, weather-worn wooden shoji sliding open, then slamming closed, echoed through the empty grounds. Then there was the patter of quick footsteps and a flash of blue, black, and white as Kagome stepped outside.

Blue eyes met amber as Kagome exclaimed in a whisper, as if speaking too loudly would make him disappear, "Inuyasha!"

End Chapter Sixteen

* * *

**_A/N:_** Fina-fuckin-ly! I can update! It's amazing! Lol, well despite the fact it's been about 2 months since I updated, I actually am putting this up earlier than I expected (by about a week or two), so yay! It's even up **_before_** my birthday next Friday! (shock) 

Also, I am happy to report that I am sooooo back into this story again! I was having major writer's block for awhile, even though I know exactly where the plot is going, because the details of how to get there were just blanking on me. Plus, I have so many other anime/manga/fic distractions that I kinda wasn't in the Inuyasha mood for awhile. Thanks to my best friend, Ren's recent-found love for Inuyasha (yay! I knew I'd break her!), Adult Swim finally showing "new" episodes again, and a sudden flood of ideas for the sequels to this fic (that's right, I said sequels—plural! Well, possibly.. at least one definitely for sure!), I have been feverishly and randomly writing notes and adding to my original outline. Once again, my dreams have been filled with scenes I want to wake up and write immediately! So things are flowing once again and I am ecstatic about that!

Though there is a downside to this sudden flood of ideas: it didn't end just with this story! Since my last update, I have written outlines for four fics, and that's not even counting the fic ideas I haven't written down yet! As I said in a recent thread on the AFF . net forums, "I have this plot-bunny problem.. lil fuckers just don't know how to stop humping each other and now I'm up to my waist in furry pink plot for fics I shouldn't even be THINKING about starting until I finish at least ONE of my big projects.."

And though I really want to work on Unexpected Ally, a recent insatiable obsession with all things Sesshoumaru (thanks largely in part to Ren..) makes me impatient to start on my next project. But I can't and won't until I finish UA, and there's still a looooong way to go! So there's my determination and motivation to finish this as well! I won't let it make me rush the story, though, so don't worry. I will, however, be trying to work on this a lot more often, like I used to when I first started a year and a month ago.

Ummm… wow, this turned into a rather long author's note… ah well, I think I've said what I needed to for now.

_**Japanese Words First Appearing in Chapter Sixteen:**_

**_neko:_** cat

**_Kitsune Bi:_** Fox Fire

**_To All My Reviewers:_** Sorry, gotta go with another blanket thanks. I really want to get this posted and I wasted a lot of time rambling up there in the a/n. (points at A/N) Anyway, thanks to everybody still reading this and putting up with my slow ass. I love you all dearly! Even those of you not reviewing, if you are enjoying this I am happy (though I would/do still love to get reviews to let me know ) By now I'm sure many of you have ideas or are even sure you know who the villain/villains are… a couple reviewers have mentioned it already… well some of you may be right.. or at least very close. Things will eventually be revealed completely, piece by piece more stuff will start coming to light. Even so, I love hearing your ideas, so don't hesitate to ramble at me if ya want lol.

* * *

Thanks for reading, please review! 


	18. The Unknown Ally

_**Unexpected Ally**_

**By:** ladygizarme

**Disclaimer:** YYH belongs to Tagashi Yoshihiro-sensei; IY belongs to Takahashi Rumiko-sensei; Unfortunately, I am neither one of them, and make no money from this. Pity me!

**Thanks:** To chiisu1 for giving this fic a freaking title! And for being my original beta. Also, thanks to Houseki, for being my second beta/plot hole checker. You guys rock! (huggles)

**Chapter Seventeen: The Unknown Ally**

Two youkai ran a well-worn path through a dense, yet very dead, Makai woods. Their captives, slung unceremoniously over their shoulders, were blissfully still and silent, having been drugged almost immediately when they were kidnapped. Limbs dangled and swayed haphazardly from the dead weight that was Keiko and Shizuru's bodies, as their kidnappers quickly wound their way through yet another dead path, unconcerned with how much they were jostling their unconscious cargo. The main concern right now was the chase.

"How much further?" The shorter, dark green one asked his tall, pale green companion in a whine.

"You know what the Master said. We have to keep them occupied for awhile. Just keep going until we get there!"

"Can't we at least kill these onna and dump them? I'm not made for carrying heavy burdens."

"Bakayarou," the pale one hissed. "You have the lighter one! Besides, we can't kill them until we get them back to the Master. You know what she said, we have to lead those Reikai bastards in first!"

"But I don't see why we should have to wait to kill these onna! They're of no importance. Even if we kill them, those Reikai chumps will still follow us!"

The taller one thumped his companion on the head with his fist. "Aho! You don't need to understand the Master's orders, just follow them!"

Glaring at the other, the short one rubbed his head, but obediently continued running.

Coming to the end of the dead wood, they ran in the open, dry, cracked, barren plains, headed for a nearby canyon to continue the next leg of their journey. From there they would cross a bridge over a river of sulphur, take a path from there leading down another canyon, to a ravine at the bottom. Then they would cross the shallow water and finally enter one of the three dense forests that connected to the Forest of the Void.

* * *

"Is that them?" a voice called down from the top of one of many large trees along the cliff of the canyon. 

The black-haired youkai he spoke to walked to the edge of the cliff, crossed his arms, and looked down on the thin ledge that wound its way up the canyon. Two nondescript youkai were running, or at least trying to, along the narrow path. They may have gone faster, but the loads in their arms, what appeared to be two unconscious human females, surely were not helping the process. Especially for the shorter one, who kept pausing to hitch the darker haired girl up when her feet kept insisting on dragging in front of him.

A long, black ponytail whipped around him as the spying youkai turned back to his treetop companion, smirking. "That's them, alright. Rather disappointing, though. They won't be any trouble at all."

An auburn head peaked out of the canopy of leaves, green eyes squinting down on the path to get a better look. "Awww, and I thought I could try out something new."

"Heh, whatever aniki. You know this is all yours, anyway. Quit being such a showoff and just get ready."

The auburn-haired one jumped down from the tree, pulling a double somersault in midair before landing expertly on his pawed feet. His white fangs gleamed as he gave his black-haired companion a cheesy grin and puffed himself up in pride. "It **_is_** all mine, isn't it?"

Blue eyes rolled at him before closing, their owner moving to lean against the tree, relaxing in the shade once more. "I just wish they'd hurry up. The stench of this place is gonna make me sick!" he complained gruffly, casting a nasty look in the direction of the nearby bridge as his nose tried to snort away the smell of sulphur.

"I told you to use some of my ointment before we left," the other said, not taking his eyes off his prey as he slowly followed their progress along the trail, inching his own way along the edge of the canyon in mimicry. "A dab under the nose and it renders the scents of Makai practically odorless. But nooooo, you have to be a tough guy. No 'sissy tricks' for you, you have to go au naturel into this place."

The taller, tan, black-haired youkai gave another snort, trying to cover up a sneeze. "Give me a break, aniki. I don't need that stuff for this little job." Under his breath he said, "Besides, that stuff makes me sneeze."

The shorter, auburn-haired one labeled 'aniki', turned back to him rolling his eyes, "Then don't complain. And don't take this job lightly, either. It may seem small and easy, but getting those human girls before they cross the bridge is very important. The fate of the—"

The other interrupted, droning boredly, "—past and the fate of the future and the fate of the three worlds is at stake. I know, I know. I've heard it a million times before from tou-san and the others. I swear, aniki, you guys need to get a new routine."

"Better watch it, runt. Don't think I won't hesitate to kick your ass when we get back to the North. And you better think twice before you say that 'short' comment that I **_know_** is on the tip of your tongue. You remember what happened the last time you underestimated me."

"Alright, alright," the tan one conceded, rubbing his head at the memory of the pain. "Can we just get this over with? I want to get back before sunset."

"Shh," aniki ordered. "They're close now. Get in position."

They both moved to a break in the trees, where a path cut through. The two kidnapping youkai would soon be visible as they reached the peak of the canyon and walked this path. The auburn haired youkai pulled two small dolls out of a pocket in his vest, nodded to his companion, and waited in the shadows of the trees. As soon as he saw the enemies gain their footing on the path, the auburn haired youkai called out softly, "Ikiningyou!" as he pulled his paper seals off the backs of the dolls and, as the dolls began enlarging, gave a nod to his friend. The black haired youkai nodded back as he started running, his legs becoming like a small cyclone as he headed straight for the enemy youkai. The auburn haired youkai took off after him, carrying the dolls.

* * *

The two green youkai hadn't taken more than twenty steps when they were suddenly crashed into by what looked to be a small dust tornado. Suddenly they were on their backs, dirt and rocks swirling around them. The cyclone that turned out to be a youkai barely paused to flash a toothy grin at them as he called out, "Sorry!" and continued on, kicking up more dust along the way. Just as they were sitting up, about to help each other up and retrieve their dropped captives, another youkai came in a cloud of dust, though this one was at least normal and not tornado-like. 

He stopped short in front of them, kicking up an even bigger cloud of dust that surrounded them. They coughed a little and tried waving their hands to clear the dust in their vision, but to no avail. Nevertheless, they soon found themselves being pulled to their feet by the stranger.

"Sorry about my friend, there," the youkai apologized. "We're in a bit of a hurry and he tends to not watch where he's going. Oh, here, I think you dropped these." Their abandoned hostages were placed back in their arms, and before they could make any reply, or see through the lingering cloud of dust, the apologetic stranger was off again, kicking up more dust in his wake.

They stood there a few more minutes, feeling utterly bewildered at the occurrence, but just happy they hadn't lost the girls, though they'd dropped them. Finally, the dust cleared, and they saw that everything was in order. The short, dark green youkai once again had the smaller, darker haired girl, and the tall, pale green youkai had the taller, sandy haired girl. Needing to make up for lost time, as surely the interlude had given the tantei chasing them a chance to catch up, they both picked up speed and hurried across the bridge, towards their intended destination.

* * *

The black and auburn haired companions raced down the ledge of the canyon, doing at least quadruple the speed the enemy had been going on the way up, though their arms were filled with the very same burden that had slowed the other two down. Aniki had given one of the girls to his friend when he'd caught up to him, so they could share the load. 

"Well, we have them, now what?" the black haired youkai questioned as he gained a better grip on Shizuru.

"Now, this," the redhead steadied Keiko over his shoulder with a hand on her lower back, and dug in a pocket with his other hand. Pulling out two small leather pouches, he tossed one to his friend and kept the other for himself.

"What's this for?" the other questioned, eyeing the pouch scrutinizingly.

"You'll see. First, we need to find a place to stop for a minute."

When they came to the bottom of the canyon, they veered off in a different directions from where the other two had come, knowing the Reikai Tantei were on their way and not wanting to cross paths with them. Instead, they found their way through a somewhat dense thicket of vines and bushes, which they maneuvered through without too much difficulty, and finally arrived at a pool of crystal clear water. It was a rare find in Makai, and one much needed.

Stopping by the edge of the small pond, they set the girls down momentarily by the bank. The redhead took his pouch and opened it, dumping its contents out into his hand carefully. A handful of herbs and small flower buds spilled out and he cupped his hands together, sifting the ingredients back and forth. Then he tilted it all back into one palm and carefully poured it back into the pouch.

Crouching down by the water, he dipped a hand into the water and brought it up to his nose, sniffing it. Then he snorted out, pulling his face away.

"What's the matter? Not to your liking?" his companion inquired.

"It's an illusion," he answered, dropping the handful of water to the ground, where it sizzled and turned red. He immediately wiped his hand off in the dirt, then wiped the dirt off on his pants. "Most likely a water demon's trap to lure prey. Once someone drinks that shit, they'll be paralyzed for half a day, if not worse."

Just as he said this, there was movement beneath the surface, and a suckered tentacle suddenly shot out towards them. They immediately grabbed the girls, jumping out of the tentacle's reach. Finding nothing once it reached as far as it could, the tentacle once again slipped below the surface to wait for the next victim that would drink from its pool. Out of immediate danger, they set the girls down again.

"Great, so what do we do now? You need water for whatever's in this pouch, right?"

The redhead nodded, "Luckily, I brought some from the falls. I had hoped we wouldn't need to use it, since the drug those two gave these girls will probably make them wake up thirsty, but necessity is necessity…" He reached to his hip for the flask he'd brought with him, and unscrewed the cap. He poured some into the leather pouch, just enough to mix the contents of the pouch into a paste, then repeated the process to his friend's pouch after sifting the ingredients around a bit.

"Okay, now what?" the other asked after the pouch was returned to him. He looked inside at its contents, taking a whiff and holding it out to arm's length, eyes watering. "What **_is_** this stuff!"

"A collection of native Makai plants that, on their own, can smell pleasant, but have a strong odor when mixed with a complementary herb and water." He knelt beside Keiko and, opening the pouch, began to spread it on her neck and temples. "It's to cover up their scent. They'll smell like the vegetation of Makai and the Reikai Tantei won't be able to track us. Go on, put it on her pulse points." With that instruction, he started to spread it on Keiko's wrists, upper arms, and behind her knees. There were a few pulse points he would avoid, for the sake of the girl's privacy, but these would be good enough for their purpose anyway.

After that task was complete, he returned the now empty satchels to his waist pocket. Then they picked up the girls and continued on the path they'd chosen.

* * *

Hiei unsheathed his katana and held it horizontally in front of him, one hand on the hilt, one against the broad side of the blade. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the flow of his youki, consciously forcing more youki to flow through the dragon flame's mark on his right arm, but making sure not to awaken the dragon. The aura of the flame's youki started becoming visible, purple and black, and stretching down his arm, winding around his flesh and the blade of the sword. 

When the flame was complete, and his katana was glowing with the purple and black energy, Hiei opened his eyes and, with a fierce look, slashed broadly vertically with the sword. Suddenly, a gaping hole was cut into the atmosphere, sparking with energy and bleeding out what seemed to be the visible odors of Makai; red, black, and a sickly yellow.

"It will be open for one minute," Hiei said plainly as he resheathed his sword. "It may be rather unpleasant, but you need to hurry." With that, he stepped through the portal to Makai.

"Unpleasant? What's he mean?" Kuwabara wondered.

"It is an unapproved hole in the barrier," Kurama said, as if that explained it, and stepped through as well.

Yuusuke turned to see Kuwabara's confused frown and shrugged as he followed his teammates. Being the only one left, and time running out, Kuwabara hurried after them.

As soon as his body crossed the bleeding barrier, Kuwabara sorely wished he hadn't chosen to follow. It felt like his whole body was on fire and being pulled in different directions. There was nothing under his feet, nor anything to grab hold of to pull himself through to the other side. He could hear a high keening sound start, and wasn't sure if someone was screaming, or if it was the sound of his own pain in his head. Almost as soon as he thought of regret, however, he remembered why they were doing this in the first place.

Images of Shizuru and Keiko, frightened and helpless, flashed in his mind. Immediately he felt adrenaline fill him and he roared as he let out a burst of reiki and formed a sword of it in his hand. He slashed madly back and forth, determined to free himself from whatever was pulling at him in this strange, heavy atmosphere around him. Suddenly, his sword was met with no resistance and Kuwabara's roar turned into a surprised sort of yelp as he toppled over sideways with his last slash, coming to rest his weight on the sword and his knees on the solid ground of Makai.

"You finally made it," Yuusuke said in a cocky tone, and Kuwabara glared up at the smirking black haired boy in front of him.

"Why didn't anybody **_tell me_** that was gonna happen!" he exclaimed, jumping up with a threatening fist held up in front of him.

Hiei shrugged and said boredly, "I told you it would be unpleasant."

Kuwabara turned his pissed off face to the short, smug youkai, and opened his mouth to sling a barrage of insults at him, but before he could, Kurama cut him off.

Placing a hand on Kuwabara's shoulder, Kurama said, "This is not the time, Kuwabara-kun. Let's not forget why we are here."

Kuwabara looked at him and dropped his stance in resignation. Then, glaring and pointing at Hiei, he said, "Fine, but you're in for it when we get outta here, Shorty."

Hiei gave him no acknowledgement other than an eye roll as he turned his back on the redhead. "Well, Kurama, I believe this job would be best suited to you."

The redhead fox was already in the process of picking up the lost trail, and soon pointed his comrades in the direction he determined the kidnappers had gone. The four took off as fast as they could, chasing the trail once again.

It led them through dead woods, cramped with sickly pale, leafless trees, through the barren plains, towards a canyon. At the trail up the canyon, however, Kurama paused. It seemed the scent of the girls went in two directions.

"What's the matter, kitsune?" Hiei inquired of his friend's hesitation.

"I'm not sure… perhaps they had to change directions… the scents overlap here," he answered, almost as if he were talking to himself. He wandered away from the canyon, following his nose toward one direction of the scent trail. The others followed until Kurama stopped at the edge of a clear blue pool of fresh water.

"I thought there wasn't any clean water like this in Makai," Yuusuke remarked.

Kurama turned to him, "There is, though it is very rare. This, however, is not one of those rarities." He leaned down and dipped a large leaf in the water, letting the liquid drip from the leaf onto the ground when he removed it.

"Whoa," Kuwabara commented when the "water" started to hiss and turn red. "Glad I'm not thirsty."

"Indeed," Kurama replied. "You would be quite dead if you were to drink this, though to a youkai it would probably merely be paralyzing."

Suddenly Kurama's face snapped toward the surface in the middle of the pool of water and yelled, "Get back!" as he and his companions jumped just out of reach of what seemed to be a large octopus arm.

"What the hell was that!" Yuusuke exclaimed after the arm retreated, once again unable to catch its prey.

"Miniature Makai squid," Hiei answered in a tone that said, 'Isn't it obvious?'

"You call that thing miniature!" Yuusuke retorted, pointing his finger toward where the arm had disappeared under the water.

"Technically, it's a shallow water squid. They're all smaller than the squid in the Makai ocean, though this one does seem to be a little smaller than normal," Kurama explained.

Yuusuke declared, "That thing was as big as a telephone pole!"

Hiei turned bored crimson eyes to the human boy, "Like he said, it's a little smaller than normal. Probably underfed. This place is rather hidden, and it doesn't seem to have as much determination to catch its prey as one would normally expect."

"Nevertheless," Kurama interjected, "It seems the scent of the girls stops here. They probably doubled back because of this squid, and that's why the scent overlaps at the foot of the canyon. We've lost a lot of time following this dead end. Let's hurry and go back."

They followed Kurama back, allowing the kitsune boy to once again open a path for them through the thick brush that hid the squid's water trap. Once free of the vines and bushes that seemed inclined to cling to them, they rushed up the trail of the canyon, determined to make up for further lost time.

* * *

An eerily peaceful world of sunset colors opened up to two youkai with auburn and black hair, allowing them entrance onto the long and narrow path towards Enma Daioh's castle. 

"You sure this is okay, going up to the front door like this? What if someone sees us?" the black haired 'younger brother' asked in a concerned tone.

"There's only one path to walk to the castle, you know," his 'aniki' answered.

"Yeah, but I thought this was supposed to be a stealthy operation. If anyone working under Koenma-sama—"

"Yeah, yeah, calm down. I said there was only one path to **_walk_**. I didn't say that's what we were doing." He took a communicator out of another one of his several pockets, and flipped it open with his thumb. Pressing a button on the inside, the screen flashed from black to blue, before it was answered and the face of a magenta haired girl appeared on the screen.

"Hai, moshi mo-sh!" she greeted cheerfully, her eyes crinkled closed in a wide, welcoming smile.

"Yo, Haruko-san. We're here, and we have the girls. We need transportation to Enma Daioh-sama's office, please."

"Hai! I'll be there in twenty seconds!" As soon as she said this, the screen returned to blue, and then black as the auburn haired youkai closed it.

Exactly 19.4 seconds later, the bubbly, pink-pigtailed, childlike girl appeared before them, riding a polished wooden oar.

"Grab on!" she called to the two below her. As soon as they each had hold of the length of oar behind her, she took off towards a tower of the castle, the red sakura petals on her white kimono seeming to dance in the wind created by her high speed.

When she finally set them down, they were inside the tower. Haruko quickly led them to the office of King Enma. She left them in the hallway as she scurried inside, then peeked her head back out a few moments later.

"Enma Daioh-sama will see you now, Shippou-san."

The two in the hallway nodded, and stepped through the now open doors, still carrying the two rescued girls.

* * *

When the tantei arrived at the top of the canyon trail, they continued down a path lined with shady trees. About a third of the way through, however, Kurama stopped again, sniffing the air curiously. 

Sighing in exasperation, Yuusuke asked, "What now?"

"Their scent gets very faint here," Kurama answered. "And not only that. It seems two other youkai were up here at the same time." Then his green eyes flashed gold a moment and, with a slightly darker voice, he added, "One of them was a kitsune, the other was—"

"I don't care what they are, I'll blast all of them to the seventh layer of hell!" Yuusuke growled heatedly. "Why the fuck does it take that many youkai to kidnap two human girls! And what the fuck do they want them for?"

"Only one way to find that out," Hiei responded darkly, crimson eyes taking on a maniacal gleam. "We'll find them and force it out of them until they're begging to die."

Not for the first, or second, or even twentieth time, Kuwabara felt an icy chill go up his spine at the thought of Hiei's powers and sadistic nature, and was once again glad the fire youkai was on their side. For now, at least.

The four continued on, following the increasingly fainter scent of the girls and the constant scent of the two youkai that had kidnapped them. They were descending a trail of the second canyon when Kurama noted that the youkai was getting stronger. A few minutes later, they could see the two they were chasing, still carrying the girls. The other two youkai Kurama had detected on the other canyon were nowhere to be seen.

_(We have not smelled them since we crossed the bridge, either.)_ Youko brought to Kurama's attention.

Kurama gave a mental pause before realizing, _'You're right.'_

Youko sniffed at him, _(Of course I am.)_

Interrupting the kitsune's internal conversation, Yuusuke voiced the obvious, "Oi, it's still only the two of 'em!"

At his exclamation, the two youkai noticed their presence and suddenly doubled their speed. It wasn't enough, though, and the tantei were soon on their tails. Yuusuke brought his arm up, aiming his Rei Gun, but Kurama warned him, "That wouldn't be wise. They are still carrying the girls."

Just then, Yuusuke's communicator went off, startling him slightly. He tried to ignore it, but it kept ringing shrilly, Botan never one to give up so easily; especially when it came to interrupting whatever Yuusuke would rather be doing. Still running full speed, he tried to reach into his pocket for the device, and, fumbling to keep ahold of it, pulled it out and flipped it open.

"What is it, Botan!" he yelled irritably.

Botan pouted on the screen, "Yuusuke! What kind of greeting is that?" She frowned at him and, though he couldn't see below her shoulders, he could just picture her putting her hands on her hips as she chastised him.

Yuusuke growled at her, "I don't have time for this right now, Botan, we're chasing a couple of youkai in Makai!"

"Oh! Gomen, but I was told to tell you, and I thought you would want to know…"

"Tell me what?"

"A Reikai employee found Shizuru-san and Keiko-chan unconscious and brought them to our offices. I thought you would want to know right away, but I'll let you go now!"

"Wait, Botan!" Yuusuke called to her, catching the girl right before she hung up.

"Nani?"

"What do you mean, Shizuru and Keiko are in Reikai! They're being kidnapped right now! The youkai we're chasing have them!"

She frowned at him, "That's impossible! They're right here!" She moved the communicator to show Shizuru and Keiko's sleeping faces.

Peeking over, Kuwabara saw his sister's face and exclaimed, "What the—"

Yuusuke's face contorted, trying to grasp the situation. "Botan, look!" He turned his own communicator to show her the two youkai, who had made it to the end of the trail and were now running to cross the ravine into a forest. Even as he went to show her, though, he noticed something odd about the girls the two youkai were carrying. Their faces weren't quite right, and they seemed to be… shrinking…?

He heard Botan's voice coming through the communicator again, breaking into his thoughts. "Yuusuke! That's not Keiko-chan and Shizuru-san! They're—"

"I know," Yuusuke interrupted, "They're dummies or somethin'. Botan, I'll call you back." Then he hung up on her.

* * *

"Botan-san?" A sweet voice called out from behind the blue haired girl as she closed the communicator. 

"Hai," she answered distractedly, still wondering what exactly was going on, and why anyone would have dummies that looked like Keiko or Shizuru in the first place.

"Botan-san," the voice said again, putting a small hand on the girl's pink kimono to get her attention.

Botan blinked and looked down at the girl that came no higher than her chest. "Hai, Haruko-san?"

"Was that an extension of the Forest of the Void I saw in the background of your communicator screen?"

Botan gasped, turning to run from the room. "Sumimasen, Haruko-san, please keep an eye on the girls for me! I have to catch those boys before they go in there!"

"Hai, Botan-san," Haruko said with a smile, waving. "Ganbatte."

* * *

"Hold it right there!" Yuusuke called out as the youkai made their way across the ravine. They didn't stop, of course, but that no longer mattered. Knowing the girls were mere dolls, Yuusuke could now use his Rei Gun. Aiming at the shorter youkai, he shot through the arm around the doll, blowing it off in a blast of light. The youkai shrieked in agony as he lost his arm, and the Keiko doll fell to the ground, where it finished its task of shrinking. 

Soon it was not much more than five inches tall and, seeing this transformation of his comrade's burden, the taller youkai stopped to look at the one in his arms. Sure enough, 'Shizuru' was shrinking as well, and he dropped 'her' as if 'she' had burned him, eyes widening and bulging as 'she' repeated the other's action of reverting to normal doll size.

Both demons stopped dead in their tracks as they realized they had been carrying fakes, and soon they were face to face with the Reikai Tantei as the team of four came to a stop on the other side of the barely flowing water.

Leveling his poised finger with the short one's head, Yuusuke demanded, "You better tell us right now what this is all about."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" the short one insisted. He got his other arm shot, this time at the elbow instead of the shoulder, but the limb was spared—Yuusuke just barely leaving it attached.

Yuusuke put his aim back on the short one's head. "Try again, asshole."

Suddenly he started babbling, tongue apparently loosened, though the team still couldn't make sense of what he was saying. As he did so, his tall companion slowly started edging towards the forest mere meters away.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Kurama stated coolly, indicating the leaf-covered branches his youki was manipulating toward the would-be escapee.

The youkai merely smirked as he got within five feet of the forest, Kurama's branches closing in on him with razor edges. Just before the kitsune's plants reached their destination, thick, black, snakelike vines suddenly shot out of the forest and wrapped their tendrils around the two youkai. Then, having secured their hold, they suddenly shot back into the trees, pulling its captives into the dense woods.

The tantei looked at each other for a split second, wearing different shades of bewilderment on their faces, before taking off to chase after their prey. Before they could get within twenty feet of the trees, however, Botan suddenly swooped in front of them on her oar. Her ample kimono sleeve was pressed firmly to her face and her eyes watered as she squinted through them at the boys.

"Stop right there!" her muffled voice ordered before she had a light fit of coughing, having accidentally breathed in some of Makai's natural miasma.

"Botan! What're you doing! They're getting away!" Yuusuke made to dash around her, but she spun in midair, hitting him soundly upside the head with the paddle of her oar. Hiei had also made to give chase, and was given a whack of his own, earning Botan a Glare of Death which she promptly ignored.

"Do you know what that is you were about to run headfirst into!" the blue haired girl asked exasperatedly. Not waiting for an answer, she said, "The Forest of the Void! You have no idea what could be waiting in there for you, and this is clearly a trap! As I told you, Shizuru-san and Keiko-chan are safe in Reikai, so what logical reason can you give me for following those two that were obviously trying to bait you into the forest!"

"We need to go in there anyway," Yuusuke protested. "That forest could hold answers to all the attacks lately. We have Kurama with us now, we'll be fine!"

Botan gave a feminine growl of exasperation through her kimono sleeve, "Just having Kurama with you isn't enough if you don't at least have some idea of what you'll be facing! The order to stay out of the Forest of the Void came all the way from Enma Daioh-sama himself, so you better think twice about disregarding it!"

"Enma Daioh-sama gave the order?" Kurama questioned. When Botan nodded he continued, "Why is he involved in this? He usually leaves these tasks to be doled out to us by Koenma."

Botan shrugged. "I can't answer that question, because I have no idea. All I know is that, after speaking with Koenma-sama yesterday, Enma Daioh-sama sent down the order that under no circumstances were any Reikai employees or entities to enter the Forest of the Void until further notice. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to Reikai before I get sick and go blind."

Seeing her red, tear-streaming eyes and increasingly paling complexion, the team conceded, albeit Hiei rather grudgingly, and returned with her to Reikai.

* * *

Leaves swished loudly, branches cracked and broke, and a path was cleared through the dark and mostly deserted forest as the heavy black vines dragged their captives toward the heart of the Forest of the Void. They came to a small clearing in the trees, though the canopy of the millennium old trees above them continued to cast everything in shadow. Nestled in the clearing that was encircled by trees was a large cave with a gaping, grinning mouth-like entrance. 

There was no pause in the dragging of the two youkai as they entered the clearing; jagged rocks at the mouth of the cave scraped into their flesh as they were whipped past into the depths of it. Wind rushed past their ears, echoing through the tunnels and making eerie howling noises. Light started seeping into the darkness enshrouding them, and soon they found themselves in the belly of the cavern, the ceiling cathedral height or more, flooded with light from numerous torches on the walls. More tendrils of the black vines wrapped around them were waving and writhing all over. Taking in their surroundings, they paled, feeling sick as they realized it was not vines or branches wrapped around them, but the tentacle-like appendages of their Master's eerie child.

"K-Kanna-sama!" the taller youkai croaked out, trying to gulp down his nervousness and fear.

Their pale master stood in front of her stone-carved throne, face masked in blank and seemingly indifferent expression. Beside her was her 'son', holding a round mirror as he stood perfectly still staring into it. His eyes were dull and vacant, though the black, sucker-less tentacles writhed around him from under his kimono.

"You failed in your mission," Kanna's soft, monotone voice stated simply. "You lost the girls and allowed the Reikai Tantei to gain the advantage again."

"We distracted the tantei just as you commanded, Master!" the short one cried out through his pain, blood from his lost and injured arms soaking his clothing and running over the tentacles wrapped around his waist.

"I did not say to distract them," Kanna continued calmly. "I said kidnap the two girls and lead the tantei on a chase to lure them here. I said, bring me the girls and trap the tantei."

"You also said you didn't want them fuckin' things up with the Young Master's plan, so we needed to create a distraction!" the short one argued.

Kanna's eyes narrowed at him suddenly, and she spoke to the boy beside her, though her gaze never left the erring youkai. "Na-kun, have you ever heard me speak in such a way?" she said in her soft, emotionless voice, barely a question in her tone.

Na-kun's dilated red eyes were also fixed on the youkai as he answered in an equally emotionless voice, "No, okaa-sama, of course not."

"That's what I thought," she sounded almost thoughtful. Then, suddenly, her eyes turned red and her soft voice became a growl. "How dare you try to deceive me with such disrespect! Na-kun, dispose of this trash!"

"Yes, okaa-sama," he replied obediently, before tightening his tentacle's grip on the demon, squeezing until it looked like one of those squishy stress relief animal toys that'd been squeezed past its limit. As his guts were streaming out of his orifices, his high-pitched screaming muffled to a gurgle and finally stopped, leaving only the echo traveling through the tunnels of the cave.

The remaining taller demon in the grips of the other tentacle was sweating profusely and stinking of fear. "K-Kanna-sama, gomen nasai. We screwed up, big time. It won't happen again! I will follow whatever instructions you give!"

The red gradually fading from her black eyes, Kanna's voice returned to its soft monotone as she beckoned a finger to the remaining youkai. Na-kun brought his appendage down and towards her as his mother took out a second mirror hidden in her obi. "No, you won't," Kanna's childlike voice said simply, as the mirror drew the wide-eyed demon's soul out of his body. After the glowing form disappeared beneath the reflective surface, Kanna turned it towards herself, centering it closely over her heart. Touching the surface, it wavered as if the glass were water, and slowly the stolen soul flowed back out and into her chest, filling the empty space there again. "You may dispose of this one as well, Na-kun."

"You do not wish to keep this one, okaa-sama?"

"Iie, he is of no more use to me."

"Hai, okaa-sama," the boy replied, bowing even as he crushed the shell of the remaining demon.

* * *

"Where's Keiko!" 

"Where's my sister!"

The two shouts echoed through the many halls of King Enma's castle as Botan led the boys to the room the girls were recovering in. Coming to a closed door in one of the higher towers, Botan stopped the boys and knocked on the door.

A cheery, "Hai!" was heard from within, before the door creaked open to reveal a short girl with magenta colored hair in pigtails. She wore a welcoming smile as she pulled the door open wider and allowed them to enter, greeting, "Okaeri nasai, Botan-san. Oh, you must be Yuusuke-san-tachi! Haruko-san desu, hajimemashite." She bowed low to the group, waiting expectantly until they returned her introduction. Hiei gritted his teeth, but followed his companions' example, with a little mental prodding from Kurama. Once the 'proper' introduction was done, Haruko stood and, with a sweeping motion of her arm, directed them further into the room, "Keiko-san and Shizuru-san are resting over here."

"What is this place, Haruko?" Yuusuke asked, looking around the room containing a couple couches, cabinets stocked with what looked like medical supplies, and many empty beds behind open curtains. A pretty blue demon, with two small horns protruding from her forehead, wearing what looked to be a nurse's uniform, stood by a desk writing on a clipboard of papers. Haruko paused a moment at Yuusuke's question, but said nothing and continued to walk. Yuusuke's brow furrowed, then one cocked up as he looked questioningly to Botan beside him.

Sweatdropping, Botan spoke, "Haruko-**_san_**, Yuusuke and the boys have never been up here. Would you like to tell them where we are, or shall I?"

Haruko turned back to them with a blushy smile and said pleasantly, "This is the hospital clinic tower. Keiko-san and Shizuru-san were brought here because it is the best-equipped to take care of any problems that may arise when they wake."

"So they are still unconscious, Haruko-san?" Kurama questioned as they finally reached a closed curtain.

"Actually, we just received the results back from the drug tests we did, and I was about to give them an injection to wake them up when you arrived." The demon nurse they'd seen before spoke, pulling back the curtain. She pulled out a syringe from her uniform and pulled a cap off the needle, then tapped it with a finger and pressed the plunger a little to make sure all the air bubbles were gone. She gave Shizuru the injection first, and the sandy haired girl sat bolt upright, eyes shooting open wide.

"Whe—" she had to pause her question for a small coughing fit, during which her brother rushed to her side to pat her back.

"Are you okay, nee-san!" Kuwabara asked concernedly.

Finishing up her coughing and pushing him away, though gently and with a thankful smile, she said, "I'm fine, I think… Where am I? What happened?"

"You're in Reikai!" Haruko spoke in her cheerful tone. "And you're right, you are fine now, Shizuru-san, though it is advisable to stay here at least one more day for observation. We've never seen the effect the drug those demons used on you has on humans."

She narrowed her eyes, partially in confusion and partially in anger. "I was drugged?"

"Rather, it was a concoction of Makai plant venom, normally used as a defense mechanism," the nurse answered after she'd given the injection to Keiko and watched the girl's subsequent bug-eyed waking. "It shouldn't be anything to worry about, luckily, and usually leaves your system within 24 hours. The injection we've given you two is a counteractive and shortens the effects dramatically. However, as Haruko-san stated, we've never seen it used on humans before, so we will need to keep you both here in Reikai for at least the next 24 to 48 hours."

Keiko's brows knitted together, "We're in Reikai? Why are we in Reikai?" She looked around at the familiar and unfamiliar faces, finally coming back to the one most comforting, the one who'd rushed to her side as soon as she'd sat up and held her tightly. She gave him a confused and pleading look.

"You were kidnapped, remember?" Yuusuke started slowly. "Someone from Reikai found you two unconscious somewhere, and brought you here."

"And now I have to stay here for the next two days?" Keiko asked, tensing up.

Haruko spoke up, "Just for observation, nothing to worry about."

Keiko didn't relax at her words.

Rubbing her back and shoulders comfortingly in his embrace, Yuusuke promised, "Don't worry, Keiko, I'll stay with you the whole time. You'll be fine."

"But, Yuusuke… what about my parents? They'll worry when I don't come home."

"We shall take care of that, Keiko-san, don't you worry," Haruko reassured.

Keiko gave her a skeptical look and asked, "Sumimasen… ano… who are you?"

Haruko smiled brightly, cheeks fluorescently blushy, though not in embarrassment but merely in apparent mirth. "Haruko-san desu, hajimemashite." She bowed to the other girl, and Keiko immediately returned the greeting.

"Yukimura Keiko, hajimemashite." Being in a position that didn't really allow for a bow, she inclined her head to the bright pink haired girl.

"I'm sorry to bring this up now," Botan broke into the introductions. "But we need to go brief Koenma-sama on what happened. In fact, you still haven't told me why you were chasing those youkai in Makai, so we all need to go to Koenma-sama's office and discuss this."

Keiko tightened her hold again on Yuusuke, and he insisted, "You guys go with Botan to do that. I'm stayin' here with Keiko."

"Me too," Kuwabara spoke. "I'm not leavin' my sister."

"I'm fine, really, Kazuma," Shizuru reassured her brother. She gave him a stern look as he tried to argue, and he immediately shut his mouth. She said, "Yuusuke will be here, anyway, so you should go with your friends and do your job."

Botan was about to protest, but Kurama spoke calmly, "It's okay, Botan-san. We were all there, we can tell you what happened without Yuusuke."

Botan looked skeptical for a moment, but then Haruko said, "Go on, Botan-san. Surely it will be okay if Yuusuke-san stays with Keiko-san. It could help in her recovery. Besides, we also need to find out from these girls what happened."

"I… really don't remember," Keiko replied to this.

"I remember being picked up and carried away after Kazuma was hit," Shizuru spoke. "After that, I guess we were knocked out."

"Do you remember going through the barrier?" Botan asked.

"It would've hurt like hell," Kuwabara chimed in.

"I remember… voices in my head… but I don't know what they were saying. Maybe they were screaming? I don't remember any pain, but I felt like I was caught in a weird dream, and everything around me felt heavy."

"That sort of sounds like you went through the barrier. Perhaps the drug they gave you also eased the pain of breaking through the barrier unauthorized," Kurama suggested.

"This particular venom isn't known to ease pain," the nurse spoke up. "Of course, perhaps it does in humans."

"You remember nothing else?" Kurama asked the girls. They both shook their heads 'no'.

"Okay, then," spoke Botan. "We will be back after an audience with Koenma-sama. Haruko-san, Jeni-san, I'll leave them to you."

At that, the blue haired girl escorted the other three Spirit Detectives back down to Koenma's office.

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The sun had long since set in Makai as a pale, black haired boy made his way easily through the thick Forest of the Void. None of the strange and dangerous inhabitants bothered him, in fact they looked on him with a sort of terrified reverence. The very vegetation seemed to part, making a path for him. He came to a clearing, though the moonlight would not break through the high canopy of leaves, and entered the mouth of the cave. 

In the belly of the cave, Kanna sat on her stone throne staring into her mirror, her son standing to the left of her. His gaze was distant and empty, though his tentacles still twitched and writhed in a sort of slow dance from beneath his elaborate kimono. When the boy entered the throne room, she lifted her gaze from the mirror to regard him, a spark of warm recognition going through her fathomless black eyes.

Going to kneel in front of Kanna and the boy that was almost his exact copy, not counting the tentacles, the boy we know as Yukio bowed and said, "I have returned."

"Welcome back," Kanna spoke softly, "my son."

End Chapter 17 - TBC

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_**Japanese:**_

**_Aniki:_** older brother

**_Tou-san/otou-san:_** father

**_Ikiningyou:_** lifelike doll

**_Moshi mo-sh:_** same as moshi moshi ("hello" on the phone), only written how she's actually saying it rather than proper spelling (hold the "o" on the " - " )

**_Ganbatte:_** go for it; do your best; work hard; good luck; etc.

**_Okaeri nasai:_** You have returned (normally said in reply to "Tadaima")

**_Hajimemashite:_** how do you do; I am glad to meet you; pleased to meet you (said during polite/formal greetings when first meeting someone; "Haruko-san desu, hajimemashite." "I am Haruko-san, pleased to meet you.")

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**_A/N:_** I've decided I'm no longer going to be holding chapters in reserve (I used to keep at least one in the bank and not post it until I'd written the next one), so you guys are getting this one as soon as it's done and beta'd! Yay! Last chapter hardly got any love sigh, but maybe another update this soon will bring back the readers. Thanks to the readers that did review. This one's dedicated to you! 'Til next time… 

- LG

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_**Thank you for reading. Please review!**_


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